bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF N-RATIO IN SELECTING PATIENTS FOR ADJUVANT CHEMORADIOTHERAPY AFTER D2-GASTRECTOMY
Authors: COSTA JUNIOR Wilson Luiz da , COIMBRA Felipe José Fernández , BATISTA Thales Paulo , RIBEIRO Héber Salvador de Castro , DINIZ Alessandro Landskron
Published: March 2014

ContextWhether adjuvant chemoradiotherapy may contribute to improve survival outcomes after D2-gastrectomy remains controvertial.ObjectiveTo explore the clinical utility of N-Ratio in selecting gastric cancer patients for adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after D2-gastrectomy.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was carried out on gastric cancer patients who underwent D2-gastrectomy alone or D2-gastrectomy plus adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (INT-0116 protocol) at the Hospital A. C. Camargo from September 1998 to December 2008. Statistical analysis were performed using multiple conventional methods, such as c-statistic, adjusted Cox's regression and stratified survival analysis.ResultsOur analysis involved 128 patients. According to c-statistic, the N-Ratio (i.e., as a continuous variable) presented “area under ROC curve” (AUC) of 0.713, while the number of metastatic nodes presented AUC of 0.705. After categorization, the cut-offs provide by Marchet et al. displayed the highest discriminating power – AUC value of 0.702. This N-Ratio categorization was confirmed as an independent predictor of survival using multivariate analyses. There also was a trend of better survival by adding of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy only for patients with milder degrees of lymphatic spread – 5-year survival of 23.1% vs 66.9%, respectively (HR = 0.426, 95% CI 0.150–1.202; P = 0.092).ConclusionsThis study confirms the N-Ratio as a tool to improve the lymph node metastasis staging in gastric cancer and suggests the cut-offs provided by Marchet et al. as the best way for its categorization after a D2-gastrectomy. In these settings, the N-Ratio appears a useful tool to select patients for adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, and the benefit of adding this type of adjuvancy to D2-gastrectomy is suggested to be limited to patients with milder degrees of lymphatic spread (i.e., NR2, 10%–25%).
Efeitos do treinamento sobre variaveis psicofisiologicas na pre-temporada de futebol
Authors: Freitas Daniel Gustavo Schimitz de , Pinto Alexandre , Damasceno Vinicius de Oliveira , Freitas Victor Hugo de , Miloski Bernardo , Bara Filho Mauricio Gattas
Published: March 2014

OBJETIVO: Verificar o efeito da carga de treinamento em variáveis bioquímicas, psicológicas, fisiológicas e hematológicas durante uma pré-temporada em atletas profissionais de futebol. MÉTODOS: Oito jogadores de futebol profissional foram monitorados por 21 dias durante uma pré-temporada e submetidos a quatro avaliações (T1, T2, T3 e T4). As variáveis analisadas foram: concentração de hemoglobina, creatina quinase, questionário POMS e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca no domínio do tempo e da frequência. A carga de treinamento de cada sessão foi quantificada através do método TRIMP. RESULTADOS: A creatina quinase aumentou significativamente (p<0,05) em T2 e T3 com relação a T1, seguindo o comportamento da carga de treinamento. As outras variáveis não apresentaram diferença significativa (p>0,05) e não foram encontradas correlações entre as variáveis. CONCLUSÃO: Parece que a creatina quinase é a variável mais sensível à carga de treinamento do que as outras analisadas. Os valores da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca no domínio da frequência apresentam uma tendência na resposta para mudanças na carga de treinamento.
Add-on treatment with nebulized hypertonic saline in a child with plastic bronchitis after the Glenn procedure
Authors: Lis Grzegorz , Cichocka-Jarosz Ewa , Jedynak-Wasowicz Urszula , Glowacka Edyta
Published: March 2014

Plastic bronchitis (PB), although a rare cause of airway obstruction, has mortality rates up to 50% in children after Fontan-type cardiac surgery. We present the case of an 18-month-old female patient with PB following pneumonia. At 6 months of age, the patient underwent the Glenn procedure due to functionally univentricular heart. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed complete blockage of the left bronchus by mucoid casts. Pharmacotherapy consisted of glucocorticosteroids, azithromycin, and enalapril maleate. The child also received nebulized 3% NaCl solution, which proved to be beneficial. In children submitted to Fontan-type procedures, physicians must be alert for PB, which can be triggered by respiratory tract infection.
Mapeamento dinâmico e colaborativo de alagamentos na cidade de São Paulo
Authors: Hirata Eliane , Giannotti Mariana Abrantes , Larocca Ana Paula Camargo , Quintanilha José Alberto
Published: March 2014

A tendência de utilização de dados voluntários e colaborativos em contextos de desastres naturais é crescente. Esse fato aliado aos cenários de alagamentos que ocorrem na cidade de São Paulo traz a possibilidade de exploração sobre o modo voluntário e colaborativo de geração e transmissão da informação geográfica de forma dinâmica. E estas são proporcionadas por tecnologias acessíveis à população, como o GPS (Global Positioning System) embarcado em celulares e a internet. O presente artigo tem como objetivo a proposta de um esquema conceitual para um sistema dinâmico e colaborativo de mapeamento dos pontos alagados, cuja fonte dos dados advém das pessoas equipadas com aparelhos celulares que permitem a sua localização. Os resultados apresentados correspondem aos esquemas conceituais do sistema, bem como ao protótipo "Pontos de Alagamento" - mapa disponibilizado via web com os pontos de alagamento da cidade, fornecidos no momento da ocorrência do evento por pessoas comuns. O protótipo foi desenvolvido por meio da plataforma livre e de código aberto - Crowdmap/Ushahidi. O sistema foi avaliado através de um questionário respondido por usuários, os quais opinaram sobre a viabilidade do mesmo, bem como os ajustes que devem ser realizados para o uso efetivo da população.
Improving EGM2008 by GPS and leveling data at local scale
Authors: Soycan Metin
Published: March 2014

The development of the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008) model is a significant contribution for modeling the Earth's gravity and geoid. Recently, it can be confidently used versus geometric models following a simple refinement procedure. Several studies show that, EGM2008 can reach the accuracy of regional or local geoid models after modeling the differences between the GPS-leveling geoid heights and EGM2008 derived geoid heights at identified control points. The study focuses on a corrector surface fitting (CSF) approach based on radial basis functions (RBF) as improvement procedure for EGM2008. A detailed mathematical model and solution algorithm of the proposed model is given, and it has been applied in different test areas covering the city borders of Bursa, Konya, Denizli and Gaziantep in Turkey. Accuracy of the improved model was evaluated in scattered check points within test regions. The geoid heights of all check points obtained by GPS-leveling measurements were compared with the geoid heights obtained from improved model. The discrepancies between the calculated and measured geoid heights were analyzed and discussed.
Love thy neighbor? reciprocal impacts between plant community structure and insect herbivory in co‐occurring Asteraceae
Authors: Stastny Michael , Agrawal Anurag A.
Published: March 2014

Patterns of herbivory may vary with fine‐scale plant community structure: the degree of damage plants experience may depend on their neighbors (i.e., associational resistance or susceptibility). Differential herbivory, in turn, may facilitate a shift in plant community structure. We investigated these reciprocal effects of plant community structure and insect herbivory in a field mesocosm experiment with closely related, native Asteraceae that co‐occur in early‐successional habitats (old fields). After one year of establishment, we excluded or augmented insect herbivores for two years in equal‐density communities of three types: goldenrod‐dominated (Solidago spp.) or aster‐dominated (Symphyotrichum spp.) congeneric communities and mixtures of the two genera. In manipulated outbreaks, overall and species‐specific patterns of herbivory by the main herbivore, the leaf beetle Trirhabda virgata, varied dramatically with community composition. In both years, the preferred goldenrods suffered 25−70% higher defoliation in mixtures with the less‐preferred asters (i.e., associational susceptibility), compared to when growing with congeners; in contrast, asters experienced lower damage in mixtures (i.e., associational resistance). Insect herbivory consistently reduced overall plant productivity, and promoted colonization by other old‐field species. Importantly, herbivory also initiated a shift in the structure of the plant communities, and this effect depended on the starting community composition, implying potential reciprocal effects. For instance, only in mixtures did elevated herbivory reduce the proportional abundance of the preferred host, and the old‐field dominant, Solidago altissima. Our findings underscore the importance of plant community composition for variation in and impacts of herbivory and suggest the possibility of feedbacks between herbivory and local community structure as one of the mechanisms contributing to the maintenance of vegetation heterogeneity.
Impact of Ultraviolet Photography on Sun Safety Practices of Snow Sport Industry Conference Attendees
Authors: Jones Trevor , Baceviciene Rasa , Vukmer Tyler , Karimkhani Chante , Boyers Lindsay , Dellavalle Robert , Gamble Ryan
Published: March 2014

Studies have established ultraviolet (UV) exposure with increased melanoma skin cancer risk. The
combination of UV exposure, high altitude, and reflection of UV rays on the snow may create a particularly relevant and
high-risk population amongst those who participate in snow sports. The current study aims to determine the effectiveness
of a UV-photography and personalized counseling-based intervention to improve sun protection awareness on the snow
sport enthusiast population. Participants were recruited at the 2013 SnowSports Industries American (SIA) Snow Show in
Denver to complete a 14 question pre-survey assessing sun-safety awareness followed by a Faraghan Medical Elise
Digital UV Camera photograph of their face and counseling regarding individual results. Participants were contacted one
to two months later by telephone to complete a ten question post-survey. Forty-one percent of participants (46/112)
completed both pre- and post-surveys. The UV photography based intervention influenced the opinions and behaviors of
sun protection in 78% of male and 62% of female participants with sunscreen use identified as the most frequently
modified behavior (53%). While valid barriers to UV photography use include a current lack of reimbursement and lack
of public knowledge of its utility, our study indicates the potential impact of UV photography-based interventions among
high-risk populations who avidly participate in snow sports.
Use of Genetically Altered Stem Cells for the Treatment of Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Crane Andrew , Rossignol Julien , Dunbar Gary
Published: March 2014

Transplantation of stem cells for the treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD) garnered much attention prior to the turn of the century. Several studies using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have indicated that these cells have enormous therapeutic potential in HD and other disorders. Advantages of using MSCs for cell therapies include their ease of isolation, rapid propagation in culture, and favorable immunomodulatory profiles. However, the lack of consistent neuronal differentiation of transplanted MSCs has limited their therapeutic efficacy to slowing the progression of HD-like symptoms in animal models of HD. The use of MSCs which have been genetically altered to overexpress brain derived neurotrophic factor to enhance support of surviving cells in a rodent model of HD provides proof-of-principle that these cells may provide such prophylactic benefits. New techniques that may prove useful for cell replacement therapies in HD include the use of genetically altering fate-restricted cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs appear to have certain advantages over the use of embryonic stem cells, including being readily available, easy to obtain, less evidence of tumor formation, and a reduced immune response following their transplantation. Recently, transplants of iPSCs have shown to differentiate into region-specific neurons in an animal model of HD. The overall successes of using genetically altered stem cells for reducing neuropathological and behavioral deficits in rodent models of HD suggest that these approaches have considerable potential for clinical use. However, the choice of what type of genetically altered stem cell to use for transplantation is dependent on the stage of HD and whether the end-goal is preserving endogenous neurons in early-stage HD, or replacing the lost neurons in late-stage HD. This review will discuss the current state of stem cell technology for treating the different stages of HD and possible future directions for stem-cell therapy in HD.
Localized Climate and Surface Energy Flux Alterations across an Urban Gradient in the Central U.S.
Authors: Hubbart Jason , Kellner Elliott , Hooper Lynne , Lupo Anthony , Market Patrick , Guinan Patrick , Stephan Kirsten , Fox Neil , Svoma Bohumil
Published: March 2014

Long-term urban and rural climate data spanning January 1995 through October 2013 were analyzed to investigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in a representative mid-sized city of the central US. Locally distributed climate data were also collected at nested low density urban, recently developed, and high density urban monitoring sites from June through September 2013 to improve mechanistic understanding of spatial variability of the UHI effect based upon urban land use intensity. Long-term analyses (1995–2013) indicate significant differences (p < 0.001) between average air temperature (13.47 and 12.89 °C, at the urban and rural site respectively), relative humidity (69.11% and 72.51%, urban and rural respectively), and average wind speed (2.05 and 3.15 m/s urban and rural respectively). Significant differences (p < 0.001) between urban monitoring sites indicate an urban microclimate gradient for all climate variables except precipitation. Results of analysis of net radiation and soil heat flux data suggest distinct localized alterations in urban energy budgets due to land use intensity. Study results hold important implications for urban planners and land managers seeking to improve and implement better urban management practices. Results also reinforce the need for distributed urban energy balance investigations.
Albumin Suppresses Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Proliferation and the Cell Cycle
Authors: Nojiri Shunsuke , Joh Takashi
Published: March 2014

Many investigations have revealed that a low recurrence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with high serum albumin levels in patients; therefore, high levels of serum albumin are a major indicator of a favorable prognosis. However, the mechanism inhibiting the proliferation of HCC has not yet been elucidated, so we investigated the effect of serum albumin on HCC cell proliferation. Hep3B was cultured in MEM with no serum or containing 5 g/dL human albumin. As control samples, Prionex was added to generate the same osmotic pressure as albumin. After 24-h incubation, the expressions of α-fetoprotein (AFP), p53, p21, and p57 were evaluated with real-time PCR using total RNA extracted from the liver. Protein expressions and the phosphorylation of Rb (retinoblastoma) were determined by Western blot analysis using total protein extracted from the liver. For flow cytometric analysis of the cell cycle, FACS analysis was performed. The percentages of cell cycle distribution were evaluated by PI staining, and all samples were analyzed employing FACScalibur (BD) with appropriate software (ModFit LT; BD). The cell proliferation assay was performed by counting cells with using a Scepter handy automated cell counter (Millipore). The mRNA levels of AFP relative to Alb(−): Alb(−), Alb(+), and Prionex, were 1, 0.7 ± 0.2 (p < 0.001 for Alb(−)), and 1 ± 0.3, respectively. The mRNA levels of p21 were 1, 1.58 ± 0.4 (p = 0.007 for Alb(−) and p = 0.004 for Prionex), and 0.8 ± 0.2, respectively. The mRNA levels of p57 were 1, 4.4 ± 1.4 (p = 0.002 for Alb(−) and Prionex), and 1.0 ± 0.1, respectively. The protein expression levels of Rb were similar in all culture media. The phosphorylation of P807/811 and P780 of Rb protein was reduced in Alb(+). More cells in the G0/G1 phase and fewer cells in S and G2/M phases were obtained in Alb(+) than in Alb(−) (G0/G1: 60.9%, 67.7%, 61.5%; G2/M: 16.5%, 13.1%, 15.6%; S: 22.6%, 19.2%, 23.0%, Alb(−), Alb(+), Prionex, respectively). The same results were obtained in HepG2. Cell proliferation was inhibited in 5 g/dL albumin medium in both HepG2 cells and Hep3B cells in 24 h culture by counting cell numbers. The presence of albumin in serum reduces the phosphorylation of Rb proteins and enhances the expression of p21 and p57, following an increase in the G0/G1 cell population, and suppresses cell proliferation. These results suggest that albumin itself suppresses the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Synthesis and Properties of a Lacquer Wax-Based Quarternary Ammonium Gemini Surfactant
Authors: Chen Hongxia , Wang Chengzhang , Ye Jianzhong , Zhou Hao , Lu Li , Yang Zhibing
Published: March 2014

Lacquer wax is an important fatty resource obtained from the mesocarp of the berries of Toxicodendron vernicifluum. In order to expand the applications of lacquer wax, we hydrolyzed it after establishing the best conditions for the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis using a Box-Behnken design. Then we synthesized a quarternary ammonium gemini surfactant by a three-step reaction. The surface properties of an aqueous solution of the final product were investigated. The optimum conditions were 9% catalyst, 100 °C of reaction temperature and 14 h of reaction time, while the maximum free fatty acids (FFA)% was 99.67%. From the gas chromatography, the main fatty acids of the lacquer wax were palmitic, oleic and octadecanoic acid. The lacquer wax gemini surfactant was synthesized, and its structure was confirmed by IR and NMR. The experiments showed that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) is 5 × 10−4 mol·L−1, the surface tension is 33.6 mN·m−1. When the content of surfactant was 0.1%, the separation time of 5 mL water was 10 min.
Trigocherrierin A, a Potent Inhibitor of Chikungunya Virus Replication
Authors: Bourjot Mélanie , Leyssen Pieter , Neyts Johan , Dumontet Vincent , Litaudon Marc
Published: March 2014

Trigocherrierin A (1) and trigocherriolide E (2), two new daphnane diterpenoid orthoesters (DDOs), and six chlorinated analogues, trigocherrins A, B, F and trigocherriolides A–C, were isolated from the leaves of Trigonostemon cherrieri. Their structures were identified by mass spectrometry, extensive one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and through comparison with data reported in the literature. These compounds are potent and selective inhibitors of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) replication. Among the DDOs isolated, compound 1 exhibited the strongest anti-CHIKV activity (EC50 = 0.6 ± 0.1 µM, SI = 71.7).
Atomic Model and Micelle Dynamics of QS-21 Saponin
Authors: Pedebos Conrado , Pol-Fachin Laércio , Pons Ramon , Teixeira Cilâine , Verli Hugo
Published: March 2014

QS-21 is a saponin extracted from Quillaja saponaria, widely investigated as a vaccine immunoadjuvant. However, QS-21 use is mainly limited by its chemical instability, significant variety in molecular composition and low tolerance dose in mammals. Also, this compound tends to form micelles in a concentration-dependent manner. Here, we aimed to characterize its conformation and the process of micelle formation, both experimentally and computationally. Therefore, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed in systems containing different numbers of QS-21 molecules in aqueous solution, in order to evaluate the spontaneous micelle formation. The applied methodology allowed the generation of micelles whose sizes were shown to be in high agreement with small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Furthermore, the ester linkage between fucose and acyl chain was less solvated in the micellar form, suggesting a reduction in hydrolysis. This is the first atomistic interpretation of previous experimental data, the first micellar characterization of saponin micelles by SAXS and first tridimensional model of a micelle constituted of saponins, contributing to the understanding of the molecular basis of these compounds.
Neuroprotective Properties of the Marine Carotenoid Astaxanthin and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, and Perspectives for the Natural Combination of Both in Krill Oil
Authors: Barros Marcelo , Poppe Sandra , Bondan Eduardo
Published: March 2014

The consumption of marine fishes and general seafood has long been recommended by several medical authorities as a long-term nutritional intervention to preserve mental health, hinder neurodegenerative processes, and sustain cognitive capacities in humans. Most of the neurological benefits provided by frequent seafood consumption comes from adequate uptake of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, n-3/n-6 PUFAs, and antioxidants. Optimal n-3/n-6 PUFAs ratios allow efficient inflammatory responses that prevent the initiation and progression of many neurological disorders. Moreover, interesting in vivo and clinical studies with the marine antioxidant carotenoid astaxanthin (present in salmon, shrimp, and lobster) have shown promising results against free radical-promoted neurodegenerative processes and cognition loss. This review presents the state-of-the-art applications of n-3/n-6 PUFAs and astaxanthin as nutraceuticals against neurodegenerative diseases associated with exacerbated oxidative stress in CNS. The fundamental “neurohormesis” principle is discussed throughout this paper. Finally, new perspectives for the application of a natural combination of the aforementioned anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents (found in krill oil) are also presented herewith.
IFN-Dependent and -Independent Reduction in West Nile Virus Infectivity in Human Dermal Fibroblasts
Authors: Hoover Lisa , Fredericksen Brenda
Published: March 2014

Although dermal fibroblasts are one of the first cell types exposed to West Nile virus (WNV) during a blood meal by an infected mosquito, little is known about WNV replication within this cell type. Here, we demonstrate that neuroinvasive, WNV-New York (WNV-NY), and nonneuroinvasive, WNV-Australia (WNV-AUS60) strains are able to infect and replicate in primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). However, WNV-AUS60 replication and spread within HDFs was reduced compared to that of WNV-NY due to an interferon (IFN)-independent reduction in viral infectivity early in infection. Additionally, replication of both strains was constrained late in infection by an IFN-β-dependent reduction in particle infectivity. Overall, our data indicates that human dermal fibroblasts are capable of supporting WNV replication; however, the low infectivity of particles produced from HDFs late in infection suggests that this cell type likely plays a limited role as a viral reservoir in vivo.
Detecting Emergence, Growth, and Senescence of Wetland Vegetation with Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data
Authors: Gallant Alisa , Kaya Shannon , White Lori , Brisco Brian , Roth Mark , Sadinski Walt , Rover Jennifer
Published: March 2014

Wetlands provide ecosystem goods and services vitally important to humans. Land managers and policymakers working to conserve wetlands require regularly updated information on the statuses of wetlands across the landscape. However, wetlands are challenging to map remotely with high accuracy and consistency. We investigated the use of multitemporal polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired with Canada’s Radarsat-2 system to track within-season changes in wetland vegetation and surface water. We speculated, a priori, how temporal and morphological traits of different types of wetland vegetation should respond over a growing season with respect to four energy-scattering mechanisms. We used ground-based monitoring data and other ancillary information to assess the limits and consistency of the SAR data for tracking seasonal changes in wetlands. We found the traits of different types of vertical emergent wetland vegetation were detected well with the SAR data and corresponded with our anticipated backscatter responses. We also found using data from Landsat’s optical/infrared sensors in conjunction with SAR data helped remove confusion of wetland features with upland grasslands. These results suggest SAR data can provide useful monitoring information on the statuses of wetlands over time.
Water Trading: Locational Water Rights, Economic Efficiency, and Third-Party Effect
Authors: Hung Ming-Feng , Shaw Daigee , Chie Bin-Tzong
Published: March 2014

Rivers flow downstream and unidirectionally. However, this fact has not yet been utilized in the institutional design for water trading. By utilizing this characteristic, we first designed a water trading system of “locational water rights.” This new system is able to mitigate the return flow-related and instream flow-related third-party effects of volumetric reliability from water transfers. We provided mathematical proof of its economic efficiency. We then applied this water trading system to the case of the Choushui River basin in Taiwan. In this area, agriculture is highly developed while domestic and industrial water demands have increased rapidly. Using an agent-based model simulation, we estimated the potential economic benefits of implementing the system of locational water rights in the Choushui River basin.
Polyglycerol-functionalized nanodiamond as a platform for gene delivery: Derivatization, characterization, and hybridization with DNA
Authors: Zhao Li , Nakae Yuki , Qin Hongmei , Ito Tadamasa , Kimura Takahide , Kojima Hideto , Chan Lawrence , Komatsu Naoki
Published: March 2014

A gene vector consisting of nanodiamond, polyglycerol, and basic polypeptide (ND-PG-BPP) has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. The ND-PG-BPP was synthesized by PG functionalization of ND through ring-opening polymerization of glycidol on the ND surface, multistep organic transformations (–OH → –OTs (tosylate) → –N3) in the PG layer, and click conjugation of the basic polypeptides (Arg8, Lys8 or His8) terminated with propargyl glycine. The ND-PG-BPP exhibited good dispersibility in water (>1.0 mg/mL) and positive zeta potential ranging from +14.2 mV to +44.1 mV at neutral pH in Milli-Q water. It was confirmed by gel retardation assay that ND-PG-Arg8 and ND-PG-Lys8 with higher zeta potential hybridized with plasmid DNA (pDNA) through electrostatic attraction, making them promising as nonviral vectors for gene delivery.
Transposable Element Junctions in Marker Development and Genomic Characterization of Barley
Authors: Mazaheri Mona , Kianian Penny M. A. , Mergoum Mohamed , Valentini Giorgio L. , Seetan Raed , Pirseyedi Seyed M. , Kumar Ajay , Gu Yong Q. , Stein Nils , Kubaláková Marie , Doležel Jaroslav , Denton Anne M. , Kianian Shahryar F.
Published: March 2014

Barley is a model plant in genomic studies of Triticeae species. However, barley's large genome size and high repetitive sequence content complicate the whole‐genome sequencing. The majority of the barley genome is composed of transposable elements (TEs). In this study, TE repeat junctions (RJs) were used to develop a large‐scale molecular marker platform, as a prerequisite to genome assembly. A total of 10.22 Gb of barley nonassembled 454 sequencing data were screened with RJPrimers pipeline. In total, 9,881,561 TE junctions were identified. From detected RJs, 400,538 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based RJ markers (RJMs) were designed across the genome, with an average of 39 markers/Mb. The utility of designed markers was tested using a random subset of RJMs. Over 94% of the markers successfully amplified amplicons, among which ∼90% were genome specific. In addition to marker design, identified RJs were utilized to detect 1190,885 TEs across the genome. In gene‐poor regions of the genome Gypsy elements comprised the majority of TEs (∼65%), while in gene‐rich regions Gypsy, Copia, and Mariner were the main transposons, each representing an average ∼23% of total TEs. The numerous RJ primer pairs developed in this study will be a valuable resource for barley genomic studies including genomic selection, fine mapping, and genome assembly. In addition, the results of this study show that characterizing RJs provides insight into TE composition of species without a sequenced genome but for which short‐read sequence data is available.
UWB Indoor Location for Monitoring Dementia Patients
Authors: Grünerbl Agnes , Bahle Gernot , Hanser Friedrich , Lukowicz Paul
Published: March 2014

Monitoring the activities of daily living is a common form of assessing the progression of dementia. Yet so far, this mostly can only be done by visual observations, which is time and cost expensive and therefore only done on a short scale. Even though the technology for automatic monitoring exists, it is still seldom used in real life environments. Key problems are the effort involved in sensor deployment and the extraction of relevant activity information from simple sensor data. In the following article the authors describe a long-term real-life monitoring of dementia patients using an easy to deploy UWB-location system. The authors describe the system-concept, discuss practical deployment and maintenance experience, and present monitoring results.
Tablet English
Authors: Hilton Jason T. , Canciello Joseph
Published: March 2014

This article provides a conceptual framework underpinning the implementation of an iPad-based curriculum designed to foster critical digital literacy skills. This is followed by a description of the implementation of this process within a full-year 11th grade English course, and reports data gathered from a survey designed to capture student perceptions of the use of iPad-based texts and applications for course content and creation.
Study of the Design of Radar Life Detector Based on DSP Signal Processing System
Authors: Jing Jin
Published: March 2014

In recent years radar life detector is the rapid development product of information technology and Biomedical Engineering, and its core is to not contact with the human body, but to realize the detection of the parameters of human life which has a breakthrough, and to explore with full range. This paper first analyzes the principle of radar life detection system and the implementation scheme of each module technology. Based on this, DSP digital signal processing method is used to design the structure system of radar life detector. Further based on the DSP signal processing principle, PD distance tracking is used to approximately simulate the time domain of human heartbeat signal. The results show that the tracking effect that is under this structure is remarkable, which has provided technical support for the practice of the area to a certain extent.
An Improved Approach to RS485-Based Long-Distance High Speed Telemetry for Industrial Sensor Data
Authors: Wang De Gui , Li Cheng , Ding Tian Huai
Published: March 2014

In industrial fields such as seismic explorations, RS485 is considered a workhorse interface standard, and it is the most widely used for serial interface found on sensors. However, long-distance transmission at high data throughput is one of the key features. An improved RS485-based high-speed remote transmission method is developed to implement the transmission of large amounts of data from distributed sensors. Based on the signal integrity analysis, the hardware interface designs including interface chips and impedance matching are determined by continuous square-wave pulse transmission. Then a self-defined protocol with the aid of FPGA hardware real-time processing is designed to make high-speed clock recovery and frame synchronizations. The 8b/10b encoded data streams are transmitted via a twisted-pair cable in the experiment. The experimental results indicate that the designed RS485 transceiver unit can drive the 220 meter twisted-pair lines at 20Mbps data speed with an error rate of 10-11.
Fault Diagnosis of Gearbox Based on Information Fusion Technique
Authors: Tian Hao , Kang Xiao Yong , Zhang Jun Nuo , Luo Li Ping
Published: March 2014

At present, some elementary problems need to be solved when apply information fusion technique to gearbox fault diagnosis system. Firstly, it is exceedingly necessary to present the precise definition, model and architecture for gearbox, even for mechanical equipment fault diagnosis application, since current definitions, models and architectures about information fusion all refer to target identification, image processing and automatic command system. Secondly, it is also important that investigate the information pre-processing for gearbox fault diagnosis, viz. how to associate data in fault diagnosis application, which is very different with military application. Based on it, the fusion demands can be brought forward in terms of different information, e.g. through fusion to get feature parameter or enhance the information quantity---to get respective fusion method ultimately. Finally, investigate how to assess properly the performance of gearbox fault diagnosis system based on information fusion, including assessment of performance of the chosen feature parameters. In this paper we investigate and discuss preliminarily these three problems.
Design and Implementation of Intelligent Detection System Based on RFID
Authors: Li Xiao Guang , Zheng Peng
Published: March 2014

Aimed at the puzzle of being long in test time and low in test efficiency for test system of computer vision, the paper designed a sort of intelligent detection system for human activity based on RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).The latest developed technology of large scale integrations and digital signal processing have been used to made electronic bracelet label. The experiments demonstrate that the proposed detection algorithms are effective and the device is feasible.
Improved Design of Sensitive Diathermancy and Application in High Accuracy Chemical Unite Operation
Authors: Zhang Zheng Hui , Chen Qiu
Published: March 2014

The high accuracy of heat inspect system was very important for the use of accuracy control in the chemical industry. The difficult of high accuracy of heat inspect system was how to get the heat information with high accuracy and control the system at real time. In traditional method, the linear system was used to control the feedback of the heat, with the data sampled discrete, the model-based heat inspect of chemical industry was easily influenced by modeling errors and disturbances of complex chemical environment, which cause underreporting or false alarms, the result was not good. So a high accuracy application of sensitive diathermancy design method was proposed and applied in high accuracy chemical unite operation and chemical industry, a heat inspect method of principal component cluster analysis for the chemical industry, the accurate diathermancy heat inspect data was sampled with many sensitive diathermancy in different location, the corresponding heat inspect signal through effective heat inspect method was analyzed to deter the corresponding chemical diathermancy was faulty, with the data fusion method, the accurate data was output to control the system. Simulation results show that with sensitive diathermancy used in chemical unit operation, the heat data is outputted with high accuracy, and it has good application value in chemical industry.
The Optimization Model for Vehicle Routing Program Based on Travel Time Reliability
Authors: Ma Hong Wei
Published: March 2014

This paper analyzes the necessity of setting the travel time reliability as the optimization objective in distribution process. It based on traditional vehicle routing program models puts forward the problem of vehicle routing program problem on the basis of travel time reliability and establishes the corresponding optimization model. It also verifies the practicality of the proposed model in this paper by taking a logistic enterprise as an example. Therefore the established model of delivery vehicles which took travel time reliability as objective function has better application value for improving punctuality of distribution and level of service.
A Real-Time Traffic Simulator with Adaptive Fuzzy Mechanism
Authors: Qi Wei Min , Xiao Jie
Published: March 2014

Traffic lights are installed at intersections mostly for traffic management. Intelligent traffic management systems emerge as a need to handle the dynamicity of traffic. These systems are first implemented on simulators in order to mimic the real life situations before realization. The paper has implemented a real time traffic simulator with an adaptive fuzzy inference algorithm that arranges the foreseen light signal duration. It changes the time duration of lights depending on waiting vehicles behind green and red lights at crossroad. The simulation has also been supported with real time graphical visualization. According to inferences from adaptive environment, TSK and Mamdani models have also been implemented to give baselines for verification. Several experiments have been conducted and compared against classical techniques to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Study on Micro-Force Sensor of Cantilever Structure Based on IPMC
Authors: Liu Li Qun , Chen Yang , Xiang Chao Qun , Zhao Ya Shen , Hao Li Na , Zhao Zhou Li
Published: March 2014

IPMC (Ion-exchange polymer metal composite) is a kind of novel artificial intelligent materials. It has a lot of good properties, such as light weight, good flexibility, easily cut in any size and shape, and can be used as both an actuator and sensor. A micro-force sensor based on the theory model of cantilever beam structure of IPMC is built up, which is applied to measure probe force during the micro operations under the environment of the cell injection.
Application of Genetic Algorithm Optimization LQR Weighting Matrices Control Inverted Pendulum
Authors: Shen Peng
Published: March 2014

In practice, the key problem to apply LQR optimal control method is how to correctly choose the weighted matrix of performance index. At present, there is no formulaic approach for this problem. To obtain the satisfying results, people must repeat to test many times. This kind of LQR control method based on genetic algorithms, which can obtain satisfying control results at first hand, is presented for triple inverted pendulum system. The method optimizes the Q-matrix by using genetic algorithms, selects trace of the result of Riccati equation as the objective function. The control problem of triple inverted pendulum is resolved successfully. The simulation results prove that the control effect by this method is better than the other methods mentioned in the references.
Improved Particle Filter for Integrated Navigation System
Authors: Jiao Zhun , Zhang Rong
Published: March 2014

As a new method for dealing with any nonlinear or non-Gaussian distributions, based on the Monte Carlo methods and Bayesian filtering, particle filters (PF) are favored by researchers and widely applied in many fields. Based on particle filtering, an improved particle filter (IPF) proposal distribution is presented. Evaluation of the weights is simplified and other improved techniques including the residual resampling step and Markov Chain Monte Carlo method are introduced for SINS/GPS integrated navigation system. The simulation results confirm that the improved particle filter outperforms the others.
Identification of LPV Models with Two Scheduling Variables Using Transition Test
Authors: Huang Jiang Yin , Zhao Jing
Published: March 2014

This paper presents the research findings of identification method for LPV models with two scheduling variables using transition test. The LPV model is parameterized as blended linear models, which is also called as multi-model structure. Linear weighting functions are used as the local model weights and the Gauss-Newton method is used to optimize the nonlinear LPV model parameters. Usefulness of the method is verified by modeling a high purity distillation column, the case study shows that the multi-model LPV models can yield a better model accuracy with respect to simulation outputs. The identification method proposed in this paper can be used in batch process identification.
Design of Automatic Programming Controller Based on Milling Feature
Authors: Li Chen , Liu Guang Kai , Wang Hong Hui
Published: March 2014

An automatic programming controller system based on the milling processing feature was proposed in this paper. Firstly, through the analysis of milling feature and the relationship of that, a part milling machining feature model is established. Secondly, on this basis, the article introduced the XML files technology into the automatic programming system and designed structure of XML files for storing parts process and shape feature information. At last, this paper sets up the automatic programming controller system composed of the human-machine interface module; XML files access module and NC program algorithm module. The advantage of the controller is easy to maintain and upgrade and there is a certain practicality in machining.
The Application of Fuzzy Control in Greenhouse Environment Control
Authors: Zhang De Hui , Wu Xiao Qiang , Zhang Chun You
Published: March 2014

For the control of greenhouse environment parameters, a combined control system of the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse according to the fuzzy control theory is design, which is of distributed control structure. The whole control system is divided into upper computer (personal computer) and the lower machine (SCM). Upper machine and lower machine adopt the Modbus fieldbus to communicate, which can effectively improve the efficiency of communication, to ensure accurate communication. Tracking control of temperature and humidity in the control system uses fuzzy control technology, which can effectively summarize and utilize human control experience, and regulate the environmental parameters according to need of crop growth automatically. Finally, through experiment, it is proved that the control system has achieved the anticipated target.
Adaptive Sliding Mode Recurrent Fuzzy Neural Network Estimator in Magnetic Bearing System
Authors: Chiang Huann Keng , Chu Chao Ting , Lin Tzu Chieh
Published: March 2014

This paper proposesd am adaptive sliding mode fuzzy neural network estimation (ASFNE) in the magnetic bearing system (MBS). The fuzzy neural network estimator has fuzzy rules base and neural network weights which the stability is proved by Lyapunov theorem in ASFNE. Therefore, ASFNE estimates system lump uncertainty to improve steady-state error and reduced chattering phenomenon. Finally, we compared ASFNE and sliding mode controller in MBS which ASFNE has better output responses.
Fabrication and Properties of Patterned Nichrome Thin Film Using MEMs Technology
Authors: Han Jie , Cheng Ping , Zhang Cong Chun , Ding Gui Fu
Published: March 2014

A patterned nichrome thin film used for strain gauge was prepared on the glass substrate using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) micromachining process. The nichrome sensitive element had a width of 10μm and a thickness of 0.3μm. The electrical properties of the nichrome film were investigated, and a stable TCR of 1.2×10-4/°C was obtained.
Heuristic Algorithm for Solving Multi-Crane Scheduling in Steel Coil Warehouse
Authors: Xie Xie , Kong Xiang Yu , Zheng Yong Yue , Li Yan Ping
Published: March 2014

We consider a multi-crane scheduling problem commonly encountered in real warehouse operations in steel enterprises. Given some demanded coils, if a demanded coil is in upper level or in lower level without being blocked, it can be picked up directly to designated place; else, the blocking coils need to be picked up to another position first. Unlike previous literatures in which both operations have been considered to be scheduled separately, our problem schedules transportation operation and shuffling operation coordinately. The objective is to minimize the last demanded coil transported to its designated place which is consistent with the earliest possible completion time of one crane. We propose a heuristic algorithm for solving this demonstrated strongly NP-hard.
A Method of Feature Automatic Selection Based on Mutual Information Grouping and Clustering
Authors: Xiao Man Sheng , Xiao Zhe , Liu Zhi
Published: March 2014

For the problem about a large number of irrelevant and redundant features may reduce the performance of data classification in massive data sets, a method of feature automatic selection based on mutual information and fuzzy clustering algorithm is proposed. The method is carried out as follows: The first is to work out the feature correlation based on mutual information, and to group the data according to the feature of the maximum correlation. The second is to automatically determine the optimal number of feature and compression features dimension by fuzzy c-means clustering algorithm in the data groups. The theoretical analysis and the experiment indicate that the method can obtain higher efficiency in data classification.
The Application of Decision Tree Algorithm in the Employment Management System
Authors: Li Liang , Zheng Ying , Sun Xiao Hua , Wang Fu Shun
Published: March 2014

According to students' employment problem, employment data mining model of university graduates is presented. The decision tree is very effective means for classification, which is proposed according to the characteristics of employment data and C4.5 algorithm. The C4.5 algorithm is improved from ID3 algorithm that is the core algorithm in the decision tree. The C4.5 algorithm is suitable for its simple construction, high processing speed and easy implementation. The model includes preprocess of the data of employment selection of decision attributes, implementation of mining algorithm, and obtainment of rules from the decision tree. The rules point out which decision attributes decide the classification of employers. Case study shows that the decision tree algorithm applied to employment information data mining, can classify data of employment correctly with simple structure and faster speed, and find some valuable results for analysis and decision. so the proposed algorithm in this paper is effective.
Research on the Classification Based on Naïve Bayes
Authors: Liu Yun , Zhang Peng Zhou , Gong Jun Peng
Published: March 2014

With the advent of the era of big data, people increasingly strong demand for intelligent information. How to make news industry provide more accurate and efficient service for people has become a significant issue. This paper describes how to build a predictable model about Chinese news classification using Bayesian algorithms, and discusses the performance of Naive Bayesian model in different dataset environments, where contains unbalanced data and equilibrium data.