bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Baicalein Rescues Delayed Cooling via Preservation of Akt Activation and Akt-Mediated Phospholamban Phosphorylation
Authors: Shao Zuohui , Chen Sy-Jou , Zhu Xiangdong , Lee Chunpei , Huang Hsien-Hao , Meliton Angelo , Li Changqing , Hoek Terry L. Vanden , Li Jing
Published: March 2018

Cooling reduces the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury seen in sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) by decreasing the burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Its cardioprotection is diminished when delay in reaching the target temperature occurs. Baicalein, a flavonoid derived from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, possesses antioxidant properties. Therefore, we hypothesized that baicalein can rescue cooling cardioprotection when cooling is delayed. Two murine cardiomyocyte models, an I/R model (90 min ischemia/3 h reperfusion) and stunning model (30 min ischemia/90 min reperfusion), were used to assess cell survival and contractility, respectively. Cooling (32 °C) was initiated either during ischemia or during reperfusion. Cell viability and ROS generation were measured. Cell contractility was evaluated by real-time phase-contrast imaging. Our results showed that cooling reduced cell death and ROS generation, and this effect was diminished when cooling was delayed. Baicalein (25 µM), given either at the start of reperfusion or start of cooling, resulted in a comparable reduction of cell death and ROS production. Baicalein improved phospholamban phosphorylation, contractility recovery, and cell survival. These effects were Akt-dependent. In addition, no synergistic effect was observed with the combined treatments of cooling and baicalein. Our data suggest that baicalein may serve as a novel adjunct therapeutic strategy for SCA resuscitation.
The Sealing Zone in Osteoclasts: A Self-Organized Structure on the Bone
Authors: Takito Jiro , Inoue Satoshi , Nakamura Masanori
Published: March 2018

Osteoclasts form a specialized cell–matrix adhesion structure, known as the “sealing zone”, during bone resorption. The sealing zone is a dynamic actin-rich structure that defines the resorption area of the bone. The detailed dynamics and fine structure of the sealing zone have been elusive. Osteoclasts plated on glass do not form a sealing zone, but generate a separate supra-molecular structure called the “podosome belt”. Podosomes are integrin-based adhesion complexes involved in matrix adhesion, cell migration, matrix degradation, and mechanosensing. Invadopodia, podosome-like protrusions in cancer cells, are involved in cell invasion into other tissues by promoting matrix degradation. Both podosomes and invadopodia exhibit actin pattern transitions during maturation. We previously found that Arp2/3-dependent actin flow occurs in all observed assembly patterns of podosomes in osteoclasts on glass. It is known that the actin wave in Dictyostelium cells exhibits a similar pattern transition in its evolution. Because of significant advances in our understanding regarding the mechanism of podosomes/invadopodia formation over the last decade, we revisited the structure and function of the sealing zone in this review, highlighting the possible involvement of self-organized actin waves in the organogenesis of the sealing zone.
Virtual Replication of IoT Hubs in the Cloud: A Flexible Approach to Smart Object Management
Authors: Cirani Simone , Ferrari Gianluigi , Mancin Mirko , Picone Marco
Published: March 2018

In future years, the Internet of Things is expected to interconnect billions of highly heterogeneous devices, denoted as “smart objects”, enabling the development of innovative distributed applications. Smart objects are constrained sensor/actuator-equipped devices, in terms of computational power and available memory. In order to cope with the diverse physical connectivity technologies of smart objects, the Internet Protocol is foreseen as the common “language” for full interoperability and as a unifying factor for integration with the Internet. Large-scale platforms for interconnected devices are required to effectively manage resources provided by smart objects. In this work, we present a novel architecture for the management of large numbers of resources in a scalable, seamless, and secure way. The proposed architecture is based on a network element, denoted as IoT Hub, placed at the border of the constrained network, which implements the following functions: service discovery; border router; HTTP/Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and CoAP/CoAP proxy; cache; and resource directory. In order to protect smart objects (which cannot, because of their constrained nature, serve a large number of concurrent requests) and the IoT Hub (which serves as a gateway to the constrained network), we introduce the concept of virtual IoT Hub replica: a Cloud-based “entity” replicating all the functions of a physical IoT Hub, which external clients will query to access resources. IoT Hub replicas are constantly synchronized with the physical IoT Hub through a low-overhead protocol based on Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT). An experimental evaluation, proving the feasibility and advantages of the proposed architecture, is presented.
Decision-Making Behaviour under the Mental Health Act 1983 and Its Impact on Mental Health Tribunals: An English Perspective
Authors: Glover-Thomas Nicola
Published: March 2018

In England and Wales, the Mental Health Act 1983 (MHA 1983) provides the legal framework which governs decisions made concerning the care and treatment of those suffering from mental disorders, where they may pose a risk to themselves or others. The perspective of the patient and the care provider may conflict and can be a source of tension and challenge within mental health law. Through access to a mental health tribunal, patients are offered the apparatus to review and challenge their detention. With detention rates under the mental health legislation rising exponentially, this is having a knock-on effect upon tribunal application numbers. As there is a legal requirement to review all cases of individuals detained under the MHA 1983, understanding the key drivers for this increase in detention is essential in order to understand how to better manage both detention rates and the upsurge in tribunal caseloads. With the increase in overall activity, mental health tribunal workloads present significant practical challenges and has downstream cost implications.
Hesitant Probabilistic Fuzzy Linguistic Sets with Applications in Multi-Criteria Group Decision Making Problems
Authors: Joshi Dheeraj Kumar , Beg Ismat , Kumar Sanjay
Published: March 2018

Uncertainties due to randomness and fuzziness comprehensively exist in control and decision support systems. In the present study, we introduce notion of occurring probability of possible values into hesitant fuzzy linguistic element (HFLE) and define hesitant probabilistic fuzzy linguistic set (HPFLS) for ill structured and complex decision making problem. HPFLS provides a single framework where both stochastic and non-stochastic uncertainties can be efficiently handled along with hesitation. We have also proposed expected mean, variance, score and accuracy function and basic operations for HPFLS. Weighted and ordered weighted aggregation operators for HPFLS are also defined in the present study for its applications in multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) problems. We propose a MCGDM method with HPFL information which is illustrated by an example. A real case study is also taken in the present study to rank State Bank of India, InfoTech Enterprises, I.T.C., H.D.F.C. Bank, Tata Steel, Tata Motors and Bajaj Finance using real data. Proposed HPFLS-based MCGDM method is also compared with two HFL-based decision making methods.
7-Acetylsinumaximol B Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy in Human Gastric Carcinoma Cells through Mitochondria Dysfunction and Activation of the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP Signaling Pathway
Authors: Tsai Tsung-Chang , Lai Kuei-Hung , Su Jui-Hsin , Wu Yu-Jen , Sheu Jyh-Horng
Published: March 2018

The 7-Acetylsinumaximol B (7-AB), a bioactive cembranoid, was originally discovered from aquaculture soft coral Sinularia sandensis. The current study investigated the anti-proliferative property of 7-AB towards the NCI-N87 human gastric cancer cell line. An MTT cell proliferative assay was applied to evaluate cell survival, and immunofluorescence staining and western blotting were employed to analyze the effects of 7-AB on autophagy and apoptosis. Our results showed that 7-AB exerted a concentration-dependent anti-proliferative effect on NCI-N87 cells, and fluorescence staining indicated that the effect was due to the apoptosis induced by 7-AB. In addition, the 7-AB-induced anti-proliferation towards NCI-N87 cells was associated with the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, activation of pro-apoptotic proteins (such as caspase-3/-9, Bax and Bad), and inhibition of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1). The 7-AB treatment also triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, leading to activation of the PERK/elF2α/ATF4/CHOP apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, 7-AB initiated autophagy in NCI-N87 cells and induced the expression of autophagy-related proteins, including Atg3, Atg5, Atg7, Atg12, LC3-I, and LC3-II. Taken together, our findings suggested that 7-AB has the potential to be further developed as a useful anti-cancer or adjuvant agent for the treatment of human gastric cancer.
Experimental Investigation of Laser Ablation Characteristics on Nickel-Coated Beryllium Copper
Authors: Lee Dongkyoung
Published: March 2018

As electronic products are miniaturized, the components of the spring contact probe are made very fine. Current mechanical processing may make it difficult to perform micro-machining with a high degree of precision. A laser is often used for the high precision micro-machining due to its advantages such as a contact-free process, high energy concentration, fast processing time, and applicability to almost every material. The production of micro-electronics using nickel-coated copper is rapidly increasing and laser material processing is becoming a key processing technology owing to high precision requirements. Before applying laser material processing, it is necessary to understand the ablation characteristics of the materials. Therefore, this study systematically investigates the ablation characteristics of nickel-coated beryllium copper. Key laser parameters are pulse duration (4~200 ns) and the total accumulated energy (1~1000 mJ). The processed workpiece is evaluated by analyzing the heat affected zone (HAZ), material removal zone (MRZ), and roundness. Moreover, the surface characteristics such as a burr, spatter, and roundness shapes are analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Non-Destructive Multi-Analytical Approach to Study the Pigments of Wall Painting Fragments Reused in Mortars from the Archaeological Site of Pompeii (Italy)
Authors: Miriello Domenico , Bloise Andrea , Crisci Gino , De Luca Raffaella , De Nigris Bruno , Martellone Alberta , Osanna Massimo , Pace Rossella , Pecci Alessandra , Ruggieri Nicola
Published: March 2018

During the excavations carried out in Via di Mercurio (Regio VI, 9, 3) in Pompeii, in 2015, some red, green, black, and brown wall painting fragments were found in the preparatory layer of an ancient pavement which was probably built after the 62 AD earthquake. These fragments, derived from the rubble, were used as coarse aggregate to prepare the mortar for building the pavement. The wall painting fragments are exceptionally well preserved, which is an uncommon occurrence in the city of Pompeii. However, as they were enclosed in the mortar, the wall painting fragments were protected from the high temperatures (probably ranging between 180 °C and 380 °C) produced by the eruption in 79 AD. The pigmented outer surface of each sample was analyzed using a non-destructive multi-analytical approach, by combining spectrophotometric colorimetry and portable X-ray fluorescence with micro-Raman spectroscopy. The compositional characterization of the samples revealed the presence of cuprorivaite, goethite, and celadonite in the green pigments; hematite in the red pigments; goethite in the brown pigment; and charcoal in the black pigment. These data probably provide us with the most “faithful picture” of the various red, green, black, and brown pigments used in Pompeii prior to the 79 AD eruption.
Long-Time Relaxation of Stress-Induced Birefringence of Microcrystalline Alkali Halide Crystals
Authors: Ueno Hiroki , Arakane Ryoga , Matsumoto Yoshihisa , Tsumura Tomoki , Kitazaki Akihito , Takahashi Toru , Hirao Shotaro , Ohga Yasushi , Harada Takunori
Published: March 2018

Alkali halide single crystals are most commonly used as the diluent matrix in the tablet method or disk technique for spectroscopic measurements. However, stress-induced birefringence (SIB) of alkali halides as well as intrinsic birefringence manifest during the disk formation process. Thus, the true chiroptical measurement is disturbed by optical anisotropies (OA) containing SIB and intrinsic birefringence, except in the case of optical homogeneity. SIB is generally larger than intrinsic birefringence and has a value of several thousand millidegrees in the ultraviolet-visible wavelength range, although this varies with disk type. Here, to investigate the SIB origin, alkali halide crystals were examined using polarized light, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, and electron backscattering diffraction spectroscopic measurements. It was found that, after stress release, the SIB exhibited nonlinear long-time relaxation, which roughly converged within several hours, with the only time-invariant intrinsic birefringence remaining being due to OA. This behavior was strongly related to an increase in the quasi-amorphous domain and the generation of an air gap between the crystallite boundaries and their pellets. Further, a straightforward correlation was found between amorphization and an increase in the disk water content caused by deliquescence. Thus, the OA of alkali halide single crystals was found to have two different origins yielding intrinsic birefringence and SIB.
Zn(OAc)2-Catalyzing Ring-Opening Polymerization of N-Carboxyanhydrides for the Synthesis of Well-Defined Polypeptides
Authors: Nie Yanzhao , Zhi Xinmei , Du Haifeng , Yang Jing
Published: March 2018

Despite notable progress, the fabrication of well-defined polypeptides via controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of α-amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides (NCAs) using convenient catalysts under mild conditions in a relatively short polymerization time is still challenging. Herein, an easily obtained catalyst system composed of zinc acetate and aniline was explored to mediate the fast ROP of γ-benzyl-l-glutamate-N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) monomer, to produce poly(γ-benzyl-l-glutamates) (PBLGs) with controllable molecular weights and narrow dispersity. Considering the excellent cooperative action of zinc acetate and a broad scope of aniline derivatives with different functional groups to control ROP of BLG-NCA, this method may offer a useful platform enabling the rapid generation of end-functionalized PBLG and block copolymers for numerous biomedical applications.
Response of Plant Secondary Metabolites to Environmental Factors
Authors: Yang Li , Wen Kui-Shan , Ruan Xiao , Zhao Ying-Xian , Wei Feng , Wang Qiang
Published: March 2018

Plant secondary metabolites (SMs) are not only a useful array of natural products but also an important part of plant defense system against pathogenic attacks and environmental stresses. With remarkable biological activities, plant SMs are increasingly used as medicine ingredients and food additives for therapeutic, aromatic and culinary purposes. Various genetic, ontogenic, morphogenetic and environmental factors can influence the biosynthesis and accumulation of SMs. According to the literature reports, for example, SMs accumulation is strongly dependent on a variety of environmental factors such as light, temperature, soil water, soil fertility and salinity, and for most plants, a change in an individual factor may alter the content of SMs even if other factors remain constant. Here, we review with emphasis how each of single factors to affect the accumulation of plant secondary metabolites, and conduct a comparative analysis of relevant natural products in the stressed and unstressed plants. Expectantly, this documentary review will outline a general picture of environmental factors responsible for fluctuation in plant SMs, provide a practical way to obtain consistent quality and high quantity of bioactive compounds in vegetation, and present some suggestions for future research and development.
Synthesis of Polyheterocyclic Pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-ones via a One-Pot (Ugi-3CR/aza Diels-Alder/N-acylation/aromatization/SN2) Process. A Suitable Alternative towards Novel Aza-Analogues of Falipamil
Authors: Zamudio-Medina Angel , García-González Ailyn , Herrera-Carrillo Genesis , Zárate-Zárate Daniel , Benavides-Macías Adriana , Tamariz Joaquín , Ibarra Ilich , Islas-Jácome Alejandro , González-Zamora Eduardo
Published: March 2018

We describe the one-pot synthesis of twenty polyheterocyclic pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-ones via a cascade process (Ugi-3CR/aza Diels-Alder/N-acylation/aromatization) in 20 to 95% overall yields, as well as four pharmacologically promising analogues via an improved cascade process (Ugi-3CR/aza Diels-Alder/N-acylation/aromatization/SN2): two piperazine-linked pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-ones in 33 and 34%, and a couple of Falipamil aza-analogues in 30 and 35% overall yields. It is worth highlighting the good substrate scope found, because final products are furnished with alkyl, aryl, and heterocyclic substituents. The use of chain-ring tautomerizable isocyanides (as key reagents for the Ugi-type three component reaction) allowed for a rapid and efficient assembly of the polysubstituted oxindoles, which were used in situ toward the complex products, conferring features like robustness, sustainability, and the one-pot approach to this synthetic methodology.
Performance of Different Immobilized Lipases in the Syntheses of Short- and Long-Chain Carboxylic Acid Esters by Esterification Reactions in Organic Media
Authors: De Lima Lionete , Mendes Adriano , Fernandez-Lafuente Roberto , Tardioli Paulo , Giordano Raquel
Published: March 2018

Short-chain alkyl esters and sugar esters are widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to their flavor and emulsifying characteristics, respectively. Both compounds can be synthesized via biocatalysis using lipases. This work aims to compare the performance of commercial lipases covalently attached to dry acrylic beads functionalized with oxirane groups (lipases from Candida antarctica type B—IMMCALB-T2-350, Pseudomonas fluorescens—IMMAPF-T2-150, and Thermomyces lanuginosus—IMMTLL-T2-150) and a home-made biocatalyst (lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens adsorbed onto silica coated with octyl groups, named PFL-octyl-silica) in the syntheses of short- and long-chain carboxylic acid esters. Esters with flavor properties were synthetized by esterification of acetic and butyl acids with several alcohols (e.g., ethanol, 1-butanol, 1-hexanol, and isoamyl alcohol), and sugar esters were synthetized by esterification of oleic and lauric acids with fructose and lactose. All biocatalysts showed similar performance in the syntheses of short-chain alkyl esters, with conversions ranging from 88.9 to 98.4%. However, in the syntheses of sugar esters the performance of PFL-octyl-silica was almost always lower than the commercial IMMCALB-T2-350, whose conversion was up to 96% in the synthesis of fructose oleate. Both biocatalysts showed high operational stability in organic media, thus having great potential for biotransformations.
Paramyxovirus Infections in Ex Vivo Lung Slice Cultures of Different Host Species
Authors: De Vries Rory , Rennick Linda , Duprex W. , De Swart Rik
Published: March 2018

In vivo experiments in animal models of disease are of crucial importance for viral tropism and pathogenesis studies. However, these experiments must be complemented with in vitro and ex vivo experiments. Here, we describe a protocol for the preparation and ex vivo infection of lung slices from different mammalian host species with various respiratory paramyxoviruses expressing fluorescent reporter proteins, and suggest follow-up experiments including immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and confocal microscopy.
Mobility Enhancement in Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O Thin-Film Transistor by Induced Metallic in Nanoparticles and Cu Electrodes
Authors: Hu Shiben , Ning Honglong , Lu Kuankuan , Fang Zhiqiang , Li Yuzhi , Yao Rihui , Xu Miao , Wang Lei , Peng Junbiao , Lu Xubing
Published: March 2018

In this work, we fabricated a high-mobility amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistor (TFT) based on alumina oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) passivation layer (PVL) and copper (Cu) source/drain electrodes (S/D). The mechanism of the high mobility for a-IGZO TFT was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The conductivity of the channel layer was significantly improved due to the formation of metallic In nanoparticles on the back channel during Al 2 O 3 PVL sputtering. In addition, Ar atmosphere annealing induced the Schottky contact formation between the Cu S/D and the channel layer caused by Cu diffusion. In conjunction with high conductivity channel and Schottky contact, the a-IGZO TFT based on Cu S/D and Al 2 O 3 PVL exhibited remarkable mobility of 33.5–220.1 cm 2 /Vs when channel length varies from 60 to 560 μ m. This work presents a feasible way to implement high mobility and Cu electrodes in a-IGZO TFT, simultaneously.
Tri-Ponderal Mass Index vs. Fat Mass/Height3 as a Screening Tool for Metabolic Syndrome Prediction in Colombian Children and Young People
Authors: Ramírez-Vélez Robinson , Correa-Bautista Jorge , Carrillo Hugo , González-Jiménez Emilio , Schmidt-RioValle Jacqueline , Correa-Rodríguez María , García-Hermoso Antonio , González-Ruíz Katherine
Published: March 2018

Tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) and fat mass index (FMI) have been proposed as alternative approaches for assessing body fat since BMI does not ensure an accurate screening for obesity and overweight status in children and adolescents. This study proposes thresholds of the TMI and FMI for the prediction of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and young people. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 4673 participants (57.1% females), who were 9–25 years of age. As part of the study, measurements of the subjects’ weight, waist circumference, serum lipid indices, blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose were taken. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The TMI and FMI were calculated as weight (kg)/height (m3) and fat mass (kg)/height (m3), respectively. Following the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition, MetS is defined as including three or more metabolic abnormalities. Cohort-specific thresholds were established to identify Colombian children and young people at high risk of MetS. The thresholds were applied to the following groups: (i) a cohort of children where the girls’ TMI ≥ 12.13 kg/m3 and the boys’ TMI ≥ 12.10 kg/m3; (ii) a cohort of adolescents where the girls’ TMI ≥ 12.48 kg/m3 and the boys’ TMI ≥ 11.19 kg/m3; (iii) a cohort of young adults where the women’s TMI ≥ 13.21 kg/m3 and the men’s TMI ≥ 12.19 kg/m3. The FMI reference cut-off values used for the different groups were as follows: (i) a cohort of children where the girls’ FMI ≥ 2.59 fat mass/m3 and the boys’ FMI ≥ 1.98 fat mass/m3; (ii) a cohort of adolescents where the girls’ FMI ≥ 3.12 fat mass/m3 and the boys’ FMI ≥ 1.46 fat mass/m3; (iii) a cohort of adults where the women’s FMI ≥ 3.27 kg/m3 and the men’s FMI ≥ 1.65 kg/m3. Our results showed that the FMI and TMI had a moderate discriminatory power to detect MetS in Colombian children, adolescents, and young adults.
Implementation of a Medication Reconciliation Process in an Internal Medicine Clinic at an Academic Medical Center
Authors: Holt Kathryn , Thompson Amy
Published: March 2018

Discrepancies in medication orders at transitions of care have been shown to affect patient outcomes in a negative way. The Joint Commission recognizes the importance of medication reconciliation through their National Patient Safety Goals, with an emphasis placed on maintaining accurate medication information for each patient. The primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of implementing a medication reconciliation process in an internal medicine clinic at an academic medical center. A retrospective chart review of patients seen at an Internal Medicine Clinic within and Academic Medical Center, a continuity and teaching clinic for Internal Medicine residents and faculty practice clinic, was conducted. Nursing staff were educated by PharmDs to perform a standardized medication history during the triage process. Medication reconciliation data was analyzed for 3263 patients from 1 August 2014 to 27 February 2015. A total of 4479 discrepancies were found through this process, with the majority (71%) of discrepancies being medications on the list that patient was no longer taking. This project illustrated to our nursing and physician staff the need for regular thorough review of the patient medication list.
Effect of Counterion Valence on Conformational Behavior of Spherical Polyelectrolyte Brushes Confined between Two Parallel Walls
Authors: Li Lujuan , Cao Qianqian , Zuo Chuncheng
Published: March 2018

We study the conformational behavior of spherical polyelectrolyte brushes in the presence of monovalent and trivalent counterions in a confined environment. The confinement is exerted by two parallel walls on the brushes. The enhancement of the confinement induces the extension of grafted chains. For the monovalent case, the increase of the charge fraction leads to extended brush conformation for different slit width (distance between two walls) but collapsed brush in the presence of trivalent counterions is observed. The confinement does not affect electrostatic correlation between trivalent counterions and charged monomers. However, it was found that narrow slit width contributes to stronger electrostatic correlation for the monovalent case. This is because more monovalent counterions are inside the brush at strong confinement, but almost all trivalent counterions are trapped into the brush independently of the slit width. The diffusion of counterions under the confinement is related to the electrostatic correlation. Our simulations also reveal that the brush thickness depends on the slit width nonlinearly.
Semi-Supervised Classification of Hyperspectral Images Based on Extended Label Propagation and Rolling Guidance Filtering
Authors: Cui Binge , Xie Xiaoyun , Hao Siyuan , Cui Jiandi , Lu Yan
Published: March 2018

Semi-supervised classification methods result in higher performance for hyperspectral images, because they can utilize the relationship between unlabeled samples and labeled samples to obtain pseudo-labeled samples. However, how generating an effective training sample set is a major challenge for semi-supervised methods, In this paper, we propose a novel semi-supervised classification method based on extended label propagation (ELP) and a rolling guidance filter (RGF) called ELP-RGF, in which ELP is a new two-step process to make full use of unlabeled samples. The first step is to implement the graph-based label propagation algorithm to propagate the label information from labeled samples to the neighboring unlabeled samples. This is then followed by the second step, which uses superpixel propagation to assign the same labels to all pixels within the superpixels that are generated by the image segmentation method, so that some labels wrongly labeled by the above step can be modified. As a result, so obtained pseudo-labeled samples could be used to improve the performance of the classifier. Subsequently, an effective feature extraction method, i.e., RGF is further used to remove the noise and the small texture structures to optimize the features of the initial hyperspectral image. Finally, these produced initial labeled samples and high-confidence pseudo-labeled samples are used as a training set for support vector machine (SVM). The experimental results show that the proposed method can produce better classification performance for three widely-used real hyperspectral datasets, particularly when the number of training samples is relatively small.
Analysis of Known Linear Distributed Average Consensus Algorithms on Cycles and Paths
Authors: Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez Jesús , Zárraga-Rodríguez Marta , Insausti Xabier
Published: March 2018

In this paper, we compare six known linear distributed average consensus algorithms on a sensor network in terms of convergence time (and therefore, in terms of the number of transmissions required). The selected network topologies for the analysis (comparison) are the cycle and the path. Specifically, in the present paper, we compute closed-form expressions for the convergence time of four known deterministic algorithms and closed-form bounds for the convergence time of two known randomized algorithms on cycles and paths. Moreover, we also compute a closed-form expression for the convergence time of the fastest deterministic algorithm considered on grids.
Green Grape Detection and Picking-Point Calculation in a Night-Time Natural Environment Using a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Vision Sensor with Artificial Illumination
Authors: Xiong Juntao , Liu Zhen , Lin Rui , Bu Rongbin , He Zhiliang , Yang Zhengang , Liang Cuixiao
Published: March 2018

Night-time fruit-picking technology is important to picking robots. This paper proposes a method of night-time detection and picking-point positioning for green grape-picking robots to solve the difficult problem of green grape detection and picking in night-time conditions with artificial lighting systems. Taking a representative green grape named Centennial Seedless as the research object, daytime and night-time grape images were captured by a custom-designed visual system. Detection was conducted employing the following steps: (1) The RGB (red, green and blue). Color model was determined for night-time green grape detection through analysis of color features of grape images under daytime natural light and night-time artificial lighting. The R component of the RGB color model was rotated and the image resolution was compressed; (2) The improved Chan–Vese (C–V) level set model and morphological processing method were used to remove the background of the image, leaving out the grape fruit; (3) Based on the character of grape vertical suspension, combining the principle of the minimum circumscribed rectangle of fruit and the Hough straight line detection method, straight-line fitting for the fruit stem was conducted and the picking point was calculated using the stem with an angle of fitting line and vertical line less than 15°. The visual detection experiment results showed that the accuracy of grape fruit detection was 91.67% and the average running time of the proposed algorithm was 0.46 s. The picking-point calculation experiment results showed that the highest accuracy for the picking-point calculation was 92.5%, while the lowest was 80%. The results demonstrate that the proposed method of night-time green grape detection and picking-point calculation can provide technical support to the grape-picking robots.
Research on Strong Clutter Suppression for Gaofen-3 Dual-Channel SAR/GMTI
Authors: Zheng Mingjie , Yan He , Zhang Lei , Yu Weidong , Deng Yunkai , Wang Robert
Published: March 2018

In spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR), moving targets are almost buried in ground clutter due to the wide clutter Doppler spectrum and the restricted pulse repetition frequency (PRF), which increases the difficulty of moving target detection. Clutter suppression is one of the key issues in the spaceborne SAR moving target indicator operation. In this paper, we describe the clutter suppression principle and analyze the influence of amplitude and phase error on clutter suppression. In the following, a novel dual-channel SAR clutter suppression algorithm is proposed, which is suitable for the Gaofen-3(GF-3) SAR sensor. The proposed algorithm consists of three technique steps, namely adaptive two-dimensional (2D) channel calibration, refined amplitude error correction and refined phase error correction. After channel error is corrected by these procedures, the clutter component, especially a strong clutter component, can be well suppressed. The validity of the proposed algorithm is verified by GF-3 SAR real data which demonstrates the ground moving-target indication (GMTI) capability of GF-3 SAR sensor.
Application of the P300 Event-Related Potential in the Diagnosis of Epilepsy Disorder: A Review
Authors: Sowndhararajan Kandhasamy , Kim Minju , Deepa Ponnuvel , Park Se , Kim Songmun
Published: March 2018

Epilepsy is one of the most serious chronical neurological disorders, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide. It can be defined as a spectrum disorder, and patients with epilepsy possess abnormalities in cognitive functions. A number of factors can cause cognitive dysfunctions in epileptic syndromes, including etiology, the age of onset, type of seizure and severity, duration, and antiepileptic drugs. Event-related potentials (ERPs) are very useful clinical and research instruments to evaluate cognitive function in patients with neuropsychiatry disorders. Event-related potentials directly reflect cortical neuronal activity and provide a particular level of temporal resolution. Among various ERP components, the P300 is the most important component for assessing cognitive processes such as attention, working memory, and concentration. Numerous studies have reported the abnormalities in amplitude or latency of P300 component of ERP in epileptic patients, and these abnormalities are indicative of cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to consolidate the existing literature in connection with the use of P300 in epileptic patients.
Physical Forcing-Driven Productivity and Sediment Flux to the Deep Basin of Northern South China Sea: A Decadal Time Series Study
Authors: Lui Hon-Kit , Chen Kuang-Yu , Chen Chen-Tung , Wang Bo-Shian , Lin Hui-Ling , Ho Shih-Hu , Tseng Chiung-Jung , Yang Yih , Chan Jui-Wen
Published: March 2018

Understanding the driving forces of absorption of anthropogenic CO2 by the oceans is critical for a sustainable ocean carbon cycle. Decadal sinking particle flux data collected at 1000 m, 2000 m, and 3500 m at the South East Asia Time Series Study (SEATS) Station (18° N, 116° E), which was located in the northern South China Sea (nSCS), show that the fluxes undergo strong seasonal and interannual variability. Changes in the flux data are correlated with the satellite-derived chlorophyll-a concentration, indicating that the mass fluxes of the sinking particles are largely controlled by the export production at or near the SEATS station. The cooling of seawater and the strengthening of wind in winter increase the nutrient inventories in the euphotic zone, thus also increasing export production in the nSCS. This study reveals that the intrusion of low-nutrient seawater from the West Philippine Sea into the nSCS significantly reduces the productivity, and hence the flux, of sinking particles.
Characterization of Human Type C Enterotoxin Produced by Clinical S. epidermidis Isolates
Authors: Nanoukon Chimène , Affolabi Dissou , Keller Daniel , Tollo Rodrigue , Riegel Philippe , Baba-Moussa Lamine , Prévost Gilles
Published: March 2018

Staphylococcal Enterotoxins (SEs) are superantigens (SAg) originally produced by S. aureus, but their presence in coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) has long been suspected. This study aims to better characterize a novel C-like enterotoxin expressed by clinical S. epidermidis strains, called SECepi. We isolated and characterized SECepi for its molecular and functional properties. The toxin was structurally modeled according to its significant similarity with S. aureus SEC3. Most of SEC amino acid residues important for the formation of the trimolecular Major Histocompatibility Complex II MHCII–SEC–T Cell Receptor TCR complex are conserved in SECepi. The functional properties of SECepi were estimated after cloning, expression in E. coli, and purification. The recombinant SECepi toxin exhibits biological characteristics of a SAg including stimulation of human T-cell mitogenicity, inducing and releasing high cytokines levels: IL-2, -4, -6, -8, -10, IFN-γ, TNF-α and GM-CSF at a dose as low as 3.7 pM. Compared to SECaureus, the production of pro-sepsis cytokine IL-6 is significantly higher with SECepi-activated lymphocytes. Furthermore, SECepi is stable to heat, pepsin or trypsin hydrolysis. The SECepi superantigen produced by CNS is functionally very close to that of S. aureus, possibly inducing a systemic inflammatory response at least comparable to that of SECaureus, and may account for S. epidermidis pathogenicity.
Greenshell™ Mussels: A Review of Veterinary Trials and Future Research Directions
Authors: Eason Charles , Adams Serean , Puddick Jonathan , Romanazzi Donato , Miller Matthew , King Nick , Johns Sarah , Forbes-Blom Elizabeth , Hessian Paul , Stamp Lisa , Packer Michael
Published: March 2018

The therapeutic benefits of Greenshell™ mussel (GSM; Perna canaliculus) preparations have been studied using in vitro test systems, animal models, and human clinical trials focusing mainly on anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects. Activity is thought to be linked to key active ingredients that include omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, a variety of carotenoids and other bioactive compounds. In this paper, we review the studies that have been undertaken in dogs, cats, and horses, and outline new research directions in shellfish breeding and high-value nutrition research programmes targeted at enhancing the efficacy of mussel and algal extracts. The addition of GSM to animal diets has alleviated feline degenerative joint disease and arthritis symptoms, and chronic orthopaedic pain in dogs. In horses, GSM extracts decreased the severity of lameness and joint pain and provided improved joint flexion in limbs with lameness attributed to osteoarthritis. Future research in this area should focus on elucidating the key active ingredients in order to link concentrations of these active ingredients with their pharmacokinetics and therapeutic effects. This would enable consistent and improved efficacy from GSM-based products for the purpose of improved animal health.
Forward Prediction of Runoff Data in Data-Scarce Basins with an Improved Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) Model
Authors: Yu Yinghao , Zhang Hongbo , Singh Vijay
Published: March 2018

Data scarcity is a common problem in hydrological calculations that often makes water resources planning and engineering design challenging. Combining ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), a radial basis function (RBF) neural network, and an autoregression (AR) model, an improved EEMD prediction model is proposed for runoff series forward prediction, i.e., runoff series extension. In the improved model, considering the decomposition-prediction-reconstruction principle, EEMD was employed for decomposition and reconstruction and the RBF and AR model were used for component prediction. Also, the method of tracking energy differences (MTED) was used as stopping criteria for EEMD in order to solve the problem of mode mixing that occurs frequently in EEMD. The orthogonality index (Ort) and the relative average deviation (RAD) were introduced to verify the mode mixing and prediction performance. A case study showed that the MTED-based decomposition was significantly better than decomposition methods using the standard deviation (SD) criteria and the G. Rilling (GR) criteria. After MTED-based decomposition, mode mixing in EEMD was suppressed effectively (|Ort| < 0.23) and stable orthogonal components were obtained. For this, annual runoff series forward predictions using the improved EEMD-based prediction model were significantly better (RAD < 11.1%) than predictions by the rainfall-runoff method and the AR model method. Thus, this forward prediction model can be regarded as an approach for hydrological series extension, and shows promise for practical applications.
Primary Care Outcomes Questionnaire: psychometric testing of a new instrument
Authors: Murphy Mairead , Hollinghurst Sandra , Cowlishaw Sean , Salisbury Chris
Published: March 2018

Background

Patients attend primary care for many reasons and to achieve a range of possible outcomes. There is currently no Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) designed to capture these diverse outcomes, and trials of interventions in primary care may thus fail to detect beneficial effects.

Aim

This study describes the psychometric testing of the Primary Care Outcomes Questionnaire (PCOQ), which was designed to capture a broad range of outcomes relevant to primary care.

Design and setting

Questionnaires were administered in primary care in South West England.

Method

Patients completed the PCOQ in GP waiting rooms before a consultation, and a second questionnaire, including the PCOQ and seven comparator PROMs, after 1 week. Psychometric testing included exploratory factor analysis on the PCOQ, internal consistency, correlation coefficients between domain scores and comparator measures, and repeated measures effect sizes indicating change across 1 week.

Results

In total, 602 patients completed the PCOQ at baseline, and 264 (44%) returned the follow-up questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis suggested four dimensions underlying the PCOQ items: health and wellbeing, health knowledge and self-care, confidence in health provision, and confidence in health plan. Each dimension was internally consistent and correlated as expected with comparator PROMs, providing evidence of construct validity. Patients reporting an improvement in their main problem exhibited small to moderate improvements in relevant domain scores on the PCOQ.

Conclusion

The PCOQ was acceptable, feasible, showed strong psychometric properties, and was responsive to change. It is a promising new tool for assessment of outcomes of primary care interventions from a patient perspective.
Automated image segmentation-assisted flattening of atomic force microscopy images
Authors: Wang Yuliang , Lu Tongda , Li Xiaolai , Wang Huimin
Published: March 2018

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images normally exhibit various artifacts. As a result, image flattening is required prior to image analysis. To obtain optimized flattening results, foreground features are generally manually excluded using rectangular masks in image flattening, which is time consuming and inaccurate. In this study, a two-step scheme was proposed to achieve optimized image flattening in an automated manner. In the first step, the convex and concave features in the foreground were automatically segmented with accurate boundary detection. The extracted foreground features were taken as exclusion masks. In the second step, data points in the background were fitted as polynomial curves/surfaces, which were then subtracted from raw images to get the flattened images. Moreover, sliding-window-based polynomial fitting was proposed to process images with complex background trends. The working principle of the two-step image flattening scheme were presented, followed by the investigation of the influence of a sliding-window size and polynomial fitting direction on the flattened images. Additionally, the role of image flattening on the morphological characterization and segmentation of AFM images were verified with the proposed method.
Antibiotic determination of antibiotic susceptibility testing disks using liquid chromatography and microbiological assay
Authors: Ousaid Amine , Akrim Jaouad , Khayati Youssef
Published: March 2018

Introduction: The aim of this work was to control the quality of some antibiotics cartridges (ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin and vancomycin) used for antibiotic susceptibility testing by disk diffusion method. Antibiotics were determined in disks and two techniques were compared for this purpose, chromatographic and microbiological method.

Methods: Chromatographic method (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography: HPLC) was used for determining ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and ciprofloxacin, and microbiological method for vancomycin and ampicillin. We used the European Pharmacopoeia 8th edition monographs and a simple and adapted method published in 2015 by Ramli Y. et Al.

Results: Dosage results reveal that 35% of unexpired cartridges had low content and all the expired AB’s disks gave low results.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that the content of antibiotics in disks could decrease if the storage and transport conditions (temperature and relative humidity) of disk cartridges were not respected. Therefore, properly performed quality control of antibiotic disks before use in laboratories would aid in providing accurate and reproducible results of dosage.

Keywords: Antibiotic disks, Quality control, Antibiogram, High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Microbiological method.
HOUSING MARKET DYNAMICS UNDER A PEGGED EXCHANGE RATE – A STUDY OF HONG KONG
Authors: YU Ka Hung , HUI Eddie Chi Man
Published: March 2018

This study explores the major determinants of prices and rents of properties in the mass housing market and in the luxury housing market of Hong Kong. The findings show that property price (and rental) dynamics are primarily driven by demand factors, rather than by housing supply. While macroeconomic factors and the provision of subsidized homeownership, to varying degrees, influence housing prices and/or rents, it is the result of U.S. monetary policy which has directly (through changes in money supply) and indirectly (through the wealth effect from a bullish stock market fuelled by unconventional monetary policy such as Quantitative Easing (QE) triggered the current affordability issue. Some policy implications with reference to recent U.S. monetary policy developments as well as to the Linked Exchange Rate System between Hong Kong Dollar and U.S. Dollar are then discussed.
PECULIARITIES OF DESTRUCTION MECHANISM OF POLYMERIC INTUMESCENT FIRE PROTECTIVE COATINGS
Authors: MAČIULAITIS Romualdas , GRIGONIS Mindaugas , MALAIŠKIENĖ Jurgita , LIPINSKAS Donatas
Published: March 2018

The article describes the destruction mechanism of intumescent fire protective paint coatings at the time of their aging under the impact of simulated climatic factors. Steel plates covered in anti-corrosion varnishes and intumescent fire protective paint coatings of several types and different composition were used in the research, while certain samples were also additionally covered in protective coatings protecting from environmental effects. SEM, DTA and FT-IR researches were conducted on control samples and samples after aging. Aging was performed in 3 ways: according to regimes I and II in the laboratory and having stored them for 12 months under the outdoor conditions under the roof. The aging mechanism of materials was determined to be very similar when using different methods of aging: with increasing number of cycles, the extent of damage to the surfaces and their diversity increase. In all cases, chemical material changes were observed after artificial aging cycles compared to control samples. In aged samples, there were some new connections occurring, while others changed or disappeared judging from the number of waves and intensity of peaks, which shows that certain compounds form, while others change and disintegrate under the influence of environmental heat and mass exchange.