bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exome Sequencing in a Family with Luminal-Type Breast Cancer Underpinned by Variation in the Methylation Pathway
Authors: Van der Merwe Nicole , Peeters Armand , Pienaar Fredrieka , Bezuidenhout Juanita , Van Rensburg Susan , Kotze Maritha
Published: February 2017

Panel-based next generation sequencing (NGS) is currently preferred over whole exome sequencing (WES) for diagnosis of familial breast cancer, due to interpretation challenges caused by variants of uncertain clinical significance (VUS). There is also no consensus on the selection criteria for WES. In this study, a pathology-supported genetic testing (PSGT) approach was used to select two BRCA1/2 mutation-negative breast cancer patients from the same family for WES. Homozygosity for the MTHFR 677 C>T mutation detected during this PSGT pre-screen step was considered insufficient to cause bilateral breast cancer in the index case and her daughter diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer (<30 years). Extended genetic testing using WES identified the RAD50 R385C missense mutation in both cases. This rare variant with a minor allele frequency (MAF) of <0.001 was classified as a VUS after exclusion in an affected cousin and extended genotyping in 164 unrelated breast cancer patients and 160 controls. Detection of functional polymorphisms (MAF > 5%) in the folate pathway in all three affected family members is consistent with inheritance of the luminal-type breast cancer in the family. PSGT assisted with the decision to pursue extended genetic testing and facilitated clinical interpretation of WES aimed at reduction of recurrence risk.
Potential Modes of Intercellular α-Synuclein Transmission
Authors: Valdinocci Dario , Radford Rowan , Siow Sue , Chung Roger , Pountney Dean
Published: February 2017

Intracellular aggregates of the α-synuclein protein result in cell loss and dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and atypical Parkinsonism, such as multiple system atrophy and dementia with Lewy bodies. Each of these neurodegenerative conditions, known collectively as α-synucleinopathies, may be characterized by a different suite of molecular triggers that initiate pathogenesis. The mechanisms whereby α-synuclein aggregates mediate cytotoxicity also remain to be fully elucidated. However, recent studies have implicated the cell-to-cell spread of α-synuclein as the major mode of disease propagation between brain regions during disease progression. Here, we review the current evidence for different modes of α-synuclein cellular release, movement and uptake, including exocytosis, exosomes, tunneling nanotubes, glymphatic flow and endocytosis. A more detailed understanding of the major modes by which α-synuclein pathology spreads throughout the brain may provide new targets for therapies that halt the progression of disease.
The Importance of Endophenotypes to Evaluate the Relationship between Genotype and External Phenotype
Authors: Te Pas Marinus , Madsen Ole , Calus Mario , Smits Mari
Published: February 2017

With the exception of a few Mendelian traits, almost all phenotypes (traits) in livestock science are quantitative or complex traits regulated by the expression of many genes. For most of the complex traits, differential expression of genes, rather than genomic variation in the gene coding sequences, is associated with the genotype of a trait. The expression profiles of the animal’s transcriptome, proteome and metabolome represent endophenotypes that influence/regulate the externally-observed phenotype. These expression profiles are generated by interactions between the animal’s genome and its environment that range from the cellular, up to the husbandry environment. Thus, understanding complex traits requires knowledge about not only genomic variation, but also environmental effects that affect genome expression. Gene products act together in physiological pathways and interaction networks (of pathways). Due to the lack of annotation of the functional genome and ontologies of genes, our knowledge about the various biological systems that contribute to the development of external phenotypes is sparse. Furthermore, interaction with the animals’ microbiome, especially in the gut, greatly influences the external phenotype. We conclude that a detailed understanding of complex traits requires not only understanding of variation in the genome, but also its expression at all functional levels.
Current Insights into Long Non-Coding RNAs (LncRNAs) in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Smolle Maria , Bauernhofer Thomas , Pummer Karl , Calin George , Pichler Martin
Published: February 2017

The importance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of various malignancies has been uncovered over the last few years. Their dysregulation often contributes to or is a result of tumour progression. In prostate cancer, the most common malignancy in men, lncRNAs can promote castration resistance, cell proliferation, invasion, and metastatic spread. Expression patterns of lncRNAs often change during tumour progression; their expression levels may constantly rise (e.g., HOX transcript antisense RNA, HOTAIR), or steadily decrease (e.g., downregulated RNA in cancer, DRAIC). In prostate cancer, lncRNAs likewise have diagnostic (e.g., prostate cancer antigen 3, PCA3), prognostic (e.g., second chromosome locus associated with prostate-1, SChLAP1), and predictive (e.g., metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript-1, MALAT-1) functions. Considering their dynamic role in prostate cancer, lncRNAs may also serve as therapeutic targets, helping to prevent development of castration resistance, maintain stable disease, and prohibit metastatic spread.
A Novel Cosmic Ray Tagger System for Liquid Argon TPC Neutrino Detectors
Authors: Auger Martin , Del Tutto Marco , Ereditato Antonio , Fleming Bonnie , Goeldi Damian , Gramellini Elena , Guenette Roxanne , Ketchum Wesley , Kreslo Igor , Laube Ann , Lorca David , Luethi Matthias , Rudolf Von Rohr Christoph , Sinclair James , Soleti Stefano , Weber Michele
Published: February 2017

The Fermilab Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program aims to observe and reconstruct thousands of neutrino-argon interactions with its three detectors (SBND, MicroBooNE, and ICARUS-T600), using their hundred-ton scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers to perform a rich physics analysis program, in particular focused on the search for sterile neutrinos. Given the relatively shallow depth of the detectors, the continuous flux of cosmic ray particles crossing their volumes introduces a constant background which can be falsely identified as part of the event of interest. Here we present the Cosmic Ray Tagger (CRT) system, a novel technique to tag and identify these crossing particles using scintillation modules which measure their time and coordinates relative to the internal events to the neutrino detector, with the intent of mitigating their effect in the event tracking reconstruction.
Functional Anatomy in Knee Osteoarthritis: Patellofemoral Joint vs. Tibiofemoral Joint
Authors: Musumeci Giuseppe
Published: February 2017

“Knee Joint Osteoarthritis” is the topic chosen for the first editorial of the second volume of this journal. The aim of this editorial is to discuss this interesting but little analyzed topic in the current literature, in order to explain and help readers to better understand the functional anatomical aspects of knee joints affected by Osteoarthritis (OA). As the knee joint is tricompartmental, numerous radiographic patterns of disease are possible and the differences between the two main compartments of the knee (patellofemoral joint versus tibiofemoral joint) are explored in this editorial.
Energy Efficiency Effects of Vectorization in Data Reuse Transformations for Many-Core Processors—A Case Study †
Authors: Al Hasib Abdullah , Natvig Lasse , Kjeldsberg Per , Cebrián Juan
Published: February 2017

Thread-level and data-level parallel architectures have become the design of choice in many of today’s energy-efficient computing systems. However, these architectures put substantially higher requirements on the memory subsystem than scalar architectures, making memory latency and bandwidth critical in their overall efficiency. Data reuse exploration aims at reducing the pressure on the memory subsystem by exploiting the temporal locality in data accesses. In this paper, we investigate the effects on performance and energy from a data reuse methodology combined with parallelization and vectorization in multi- and many-core processors. As a test case, a full-search motion estimation kernel is evaluated on Intel® CoreTM i7-4700K (Haswell) and i7-2600K (Sandy Bridge) multi-core processors, as well as on an Intel® Xeon PhiTM many-core processor (Knights Landing) with Streaming Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) Extensions (SSE) and Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) instruction sets. Results using a single-threaded execution on the Haswell and Sandy Bridge systems show that performance and EDP (Energy Delay Product) can be improved through data reuse transformations on the scalar code by a factor of ≈3× and ≈6×, respectively. Compared to scalar code without data reuse optimization, the SSE/AVX2 version achieves ≈10×/17× better performance and ≈92×/307× better EDP, respectively. These results can be improved by 10% to 15% using data reuse techniques. Finally, the most optimized version using data reuse and AVX512 achieves a speedup of ≈35× and an EDP improvement of ≈1192× on the Xeon Phi system. While single-threaded execution serves as a common reference point for all architectures to analyze the effects of data reuse on both scalar and vector codes, scalability with thread count is also discussed in the paper.
Characterization of Bitumen Micro-Mechanical Behaviors Using AFM, Phase Dynamics Theory and MD Simulation
Authors: Hou Yue , Wang Linbing , Wang Dawei , Guo Meng , Liu Pengfei , Yu Jianxin
Published: February 2017

Fundamental understanding of micro-mechanical behaviors in bitumen, including phase separation, micro-friction, micro-abrasion, etc., can help the pavement engineers better understand the bitumen mechanical performances at macroscale. Recent researches show that the microstructure evolution in bitumen will directly affect its surface structure and micro-mechanical performance. In this study, the bitumen microstructure and micro-mechanical behaviors are studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) experiments, Phase Dynamics Theory and Molecular Dynamics (MD) Simulation. The AFM experiment results show that different phase-structure will occur at the surface of the bitumen samples under certain thermodynamic conditions at microscale. The phenomenon can be explained using the phase dynamics theory, where the effects of stability parameter and temperature on bitumen microstructure and micro-mechanical behavior are studied combined with MD Simulation. Simulation results show that the saturates phase, in contrast to the naphthene aromatics phase, plays a major role in bitumen micro-mechanical behavior. A high stress zone occurs at the interface between the saturates phase and the naphthene aromatics phase, which may form discontinuities that further affect the bitumen frictional performance.
Vibration-Assisted Femtosecond Laser Drilling with Controllable Taper Angles for AMOLED Fine Metal Mask Fabrication
Authors: Choi Wonsuk , Kim Hoon , Jeon Jin , Chang Won , Cho Sung-Hak
Published: February 2017

This study investigates the effect of focal plane variation using vibration in a femtosecond laser hole drilling process on Invar alloy fabrication quality for the production of fine metal masks (FMMs). FMMs are used in the red, green, blue (RGB) evaporation process in Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AMOLED) manufacturing. The taper angle of the hole is adjusted by attaching the objective lens to a micro-vibrator and continuously changing the focal plane position. Eight laser pulses were used to examine how the hole characteristics vary with the first focal plane’s position, where the first pulse is focused at an initial position and the focal planes of subsequent pulses move downward. The results showed that the hole taper angle can be controlled by varying the amplitude of the continuously operating vibrator during femtosecond laser hole machining. The taper angles were changed between 31.8° and 43.9° by adjusting the vibrator amplitude at a frequency of 100 Hz. Femtosecond laser hole drilling with controllable taper angles is expected to be used in the precision micro-machining of various smart devices.
Fabrication of Lead-Free Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 Thin Films by Aqueous Chemical Solution Deposition
Authors: Christensen Mads , Einarsrud Mari-Ann , Grande Tor
Published: February 2017

Piezoelectric ceramics are widely used in actuator applications, and currently the vast majority of these devices are based on Pb ( Zr , Ti ) O 3 , which constitutes environmental and health hazards due to the toxicity of lead. One of the most promising lead-free material systems for actuators is based on Bi 0 . 5 Na 0 . 5 TiO 3 (BNT), and here we report on successful fabrication of BNT thin films by aqueous chemical solution deposition. The precursor solution used in the synthesis is based on bismuth citrate stabilized by ethanolamine, NaOH , and a Ti-citrate prepared from titanium tetraisopropoxide and citric acid. BNT thin films were deposited on SrTiO 3 and platinized silicon substrates by spin-coating, and the films were pyrolized and annealed by rapid thermal processing. The BNT perovskite phase formed after calcination at 500 °C in air. The deposited thin films were single phase according to X-ray diffraction, and the microstructures of the films shown by electron microscopy were homogeneous and dense. Decomposition of the gel was thoroughly investigated, and the conditions resulting in phase pure materials were identified. This new aqueous deposition route is low cost, robust, and suitable for development of BNT based thin film for actuator applications.
Tensile and Flexural Properties of Cement Composites Reinforced with Flax Nonwoven Fabrics
Authors: Claramunt Josep , Ventura Heura , Fernández-Carrasco Lucía , Ardanuy Mònica
Published: February 2017

The aim of this study is to develop a process to produce high-performance cement-based composites reinforced with flax nonwoven fabrics, analyzing the influence of the fabric structure—thickness and entanglement—on mechanical behavior under flexural and tensile loadings. For this purpose, composite with flax nonwoven fabrics with different thicknesses were first prepared and their cement infiltration was evaluated with backscattered electron (BSE) images. The nonwoven fabrics with the optimized thickness were then subjected to a water treatment to improve their stability to humid environments and the fiber-matrix adhesion. For a fixed thickness, the effect of the nonwoven entanglement on the mechanical behavior was evaluated under flexural and direct tension tests. The obtained results indicate that the flax nonwoven fabric reinforcement leads to cement composites with substantial enhancement of ductility.
The Effect of Sputtering Parameters and Doping of Copper on Surface Free Energy and Magnetic Properties of Iron and Iron Nitride Nano Thin Films on Polymer Substrate
Authors: Khan Waheed , Wang Qun , Jin Xin , Feng Tangfeng
Published: February 2017

The objective of this study was to deposit thin films on PET polymer substrate and examine the functional properties systematically. Their properties have been studied as a function of the N2-Ar flow rates, deposition time span and Cu doping. Iron nitride film deposited on both sides exhibits ferromagnetic phases, γ′-Fe4N and ε-Fe3N co-existed, shows negligible magnetic anisotropy. Other samples show the evolution of N-rich (FeN, Fe2N) and N-poor (Fe16N2, Fe3N, Fe4N) phases under different deposition time conditions. XPS analysis and free energy calculations confirmed that co-sputtered Fe-Cu thin films are more stable than layer deposited counterparts. From VSM results it is evident that the dominant phase, changes steadily from the ferromagnetic α-Fe (N) to the paramagnetic ξ-Fe2N with the increase of nitrogen flow rates and the ordering of the nitrogen atoms. Binding energy increases steadily from 733 eV to 740 eV with the increasing thickness of thin films from 74 nm to 94 nm. It was observed that surface energy decreases as the contact angle of glycol increases and changes the thin film surface from polar to nonpolar. TEM images indicate that cubic γ′-Fe4N and ε-Fe3N nano particles oriented in preferred directions dispersed uniformly in the amorphous iron nitride matrix.
Determination of Inorganic Cations and Anions in Chitooligosaccharides by Ion Chromatography with Conductivity Detection
Authors: Cao Lidong , Li Xiuhuan , Fan Li , Zheng Li , Wu Miaomiao , Zhang Shanxue , Huang Qiliang
Published: February 2017

Chitooligosaccharides (COSs) are a promising drug candidate and food ingredient because they are innately biocompatible, non-toxic, and non-allergenic to living tissues. Therefore, the impurities in COSs must be clearly elucidated and precisely determined. As for COSs, most analytical methods focus on the determination of the average degrees of polymerization (DPs) and deacetylation (DD), as well as separation and analysis of the single COSs with different DPs. However, little is known about the concentrations of inorganic cations and anions in COSs. In the present study, an efficient and sensitive ion chromatography coupled with conductivity detection (IC-CD) for the determination of inorganic cations Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and chloride, acetate and lactate anions was developed. Detection limits were 0.01–0.05 μM for cations and 0.5–0.6 μM for anions. The linear range was 0.001–0.8 mM. The optimized analysis was carried out on IonPac CS12A and IonPac AS12A analytical column for cations and anions, respectively, using isocratic elution with 20 mM methanesulfonic acid and 4 mM sodium hydroxide aqueous solution as the mobile phase at a 1.0 mL/min flow rate. Quality parameters, including precision and accuracy, were fully validated and found to be satisfactory. The fully validated IC-CD method was readily applied for the quantification of various cations and anions in commercial COS technical concentrate.
Metabolic Profiling as a Screening Tool for Cytotoxic Compounds: Identification of 3-Alkyl Pyridine Alkaloids from Sponges Collected at a Shallow Water Hydrothermal Vent Site North of Iceland
Authors: Einarsdottir Eydis , Magnusdottir Manuela , Astarita Giuseppe , Köck Matthias , Ögmundsdottir Helga , Thorsteinsdottir Margret , Rapp Hans , Omarsdottir Sesselja , Paglia Giuseppe
Published: February 2017

Twenty-eight sponge specimens were collected at a shallow water hydrothermal vent site north of Iceland. Extracts were prepared and tested in vitro for cytotoxic activity, and eight of them were shown to be cytotoxic. A mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics approach was used to determine the chemical composition of the extracts. This analysis highlighted clear differences in the metabolomes of three sponge specimens, and all of them were identified as Haliclona (Rhizoniera) rosea (Bowerbank, 1866). Therefore, these specimens were selected for further investigation. Haliclona rosea metabolomes contained a class of potential key compounds, the 3-alkyl pyridine alkaloids (3-APA) responsible for the cytotoxic activity of the fractions. Several 3-APA compounds were tentatively identified including haliclamines, cyclostellettamines, viscosalines and viscosamines. Among these compounds, cyclostellettamine P was tentatively identified for the first time by using ion mobility MS in time-aligned parallel (TAP) fragmentation mode. In this work, we show the potential of applying metabolomics strategies and in particular the utility of coupling ion mobility with MS for the molecular characterization of sponge specimens.
Evolution of Metal Surface Topography during Fatigue
Authors: Zhu Darong , Xu Lu , Wang Fangbin , Liu Tao , Lu Ke
Published: February 2017

Changes in surface topography reflect the state of fatigue damage. In this paper, a new method to characterize metal surface topography during fatigue has been proposed. Firstly, we acquired surface topography images based on machine vision and separated them into roughness, waviness, and form error images through a shearlet transform. Secondly, we constructed gray co-occurrence matrixes of the obtained surface topography images and calculated the characteristic parameters, such as contrast, correlation coefficient, energy, and entropy for all the original and separated images. Then, taking a Q235 steel specimen as an example for testing, the experimental results and theoretical analysis demonstrate that the parameter contrast increases while energy, correlation coefficient and entropy decrease gradually with number of loading circles, which reach their maximum and minimums before fracture, respectively.
A Study on the Electro-Optical Properties of Thiol-Ene Polymer Dispersed Cholesteric Liquid Crystal (PDChLC) Films
Authors: Sun Yujian , Gao Yanzi , Zhou Le , Huang Jianhua , Fang Hua , Ma Haipeng , Zhang Yi , Yang Jie , Song Ping , Zhang Cuihong , Zhang Lanying , Li Fasheng , Zhao Yuzhen , Li Kexuan
Published: February 2017

In this study, a polymer dispersed cholesteric liquid crystal (PDChLC) film obtained via a one-step fabrication technique based on photopolymerization of a thiol-acrylate reaction system was prepared and characterized for the first time. The effects of the chiral dopant, the influence of thiol monomer functionality and content on the morphology and subsequent performance of the PDChLC films were systematically investigated. It was demonstrated that the addition of a small amount of chiral dopant slightly increased the driving voltage, but decreased the off-state transmittance significantly. Furthermore, scanning electron micrographs (SEM) shown that the liquid crystal (LC) droplet size decreased at first and then increased with the increasing amount of thiol monomer functionality, while increasing the thiol content increased the LC droplet size. Correspondingly, the electro-optical switching behavior was directly dependent on LC droplet size. By tuning the raw material composition, PDChLC film with optimized electro-optical performance was prepared.
Evaluation of Extraction and Degradation Methods to Obtain Chickpeasaponin B1 from Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Cheng Kun , Gao Hua , Wang Rong-Rong , Liu Yang , Hou Yu-Xue , Liu Xiao-Hong , Liu Kun , Wang Wei
Published: February 2017

The objective of this research is to implement extraction and degradation methods for the obtainment of 3-O-[α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-d-galactopyranosyl] soyasapogenol B (chickpeasaponin B1) from chickpea. The effects of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) processing parameters—such as ethanol concentration, solvent/solid ratio, extraction temperature, microwave irradiation power, and irradiation time—were evaluated. Using 1g of material with 8 mL of 70% aqueous ethanol and an extraction time of 10 min at 70 °C under irradiation power 400W provided optimal extraction conditions. Compared with the conventional extraction techniques, including heat reflux extraction (HRE), Soxhlet extraction (SE), and ultrasonic extraction (UE), MAE produced higher extraction efficiency under a lower extraction time. DDMP (2,3-dihydro-2,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one) saponin can be degraded to structurally stable saponin B by the loss of its DDMP group. The influence of pH and the concentration of potassium hydroxide on transformation efficiency of the target compound was investigated. A solution of 0.25 M potassium hydroxide in 75% aqueous ethanol was suitable for converting the corresponding DDMP saponins of chickpeasaponin B1. The implementation by the combining MAE technique and alkaline hydrolysis method for preparing chickpeasaponin B1 provides a convenient technology for future applications.
New Route Synthesis of Thiadiazoles, Bisthiadiazoles, Thiadiazolotriazines, and Pyrazolothiadiazoles Based on Hydrazonoyl Halides and Dihydrazinylthiadiazole
Authors: Sayed Abdelwahed , Al-Shihry Shar
Published: February 2017

Synthesis and characterization of new thiadiazoles, bisthiadiazoles from the reaction of mono- and di-hydrazonoyl halides with various hydrazinecarbodithioate derivatives were studied. Treatment of hydrazonoyl halides with 2,5-dihydrazinyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole afforded new bistriazines containing thiadiazole; we also examined the reaction of 2,5-dihydrazinyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole with active methylene compounds to afford new pyrazoles containing thiadiazole compounds. The new synthesized compounds were identified by elemental analysis and various spectral data (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance).
Lycium barbarum L. Polysaccharide (LBP) Reduces Glucose Uptake via Down-Regulation of SGLT-1 in Caco2 Cell
Authors: Cai Huizhen , Yang Xiaohui , Cai Qian , Ren Binbin , Qiu Hongyan , Yao Zhiqing
Published: February 2017

Lycium barbarum L. polysaccharide (LBP) is prepared from Lycium barbarum L. (L. barbarum), which is a traditional Chinese medicine. LPB has been shown to have hypoglycemic effects. In order to gain some mechanistic insights on the hypoglycemic effects of LBP, we investigated the uptake of LBP and its effect on glucose absorption in the human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco2 cell. The uptake of LBP through Caco2 cell monolayer was time-dependent and was inhibited by phloridzin, a competitive inhibitor of SGLT-1. LPB decreased the absorption of glucose in Caco2 cell, and down-regulated the expression of SGLT-1. These results suggest that LBP might be transported across the human intestinal epithelium through SGLT-1 and it inhibits glucose uptake via down-regulating SGLT-1.
Calcium Intake and Nutritional Adequacy in Spanish Children: The ANIVA Study
Authors: Rubio-López Nuria , Llopis-González Agustín , Morales-Suárez-Varela María
Published: February 2017

Calcium is an important nutrient for child development. The main objective of this study was to assess calcium intake and its adequacy with dietary reference intake (DRI) in Spanish children. The ANIVA (Antropometría y Nutrición Infantil de Valencia) study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. During two academic years 2013–2014 and 2014–2015, 1176 schoolchildren aged 6–9 years were selected from 14 primary schools in Valencia (Spain). Three-day food records were used to assess dietary intake, completed by parents/guardian. Anthropometric data (weight and height) were evaluated in all subjects. Nutritional intake was compared to estimated average requirements (EARs) and adequate intake (AI) values to determine nutritional adequacy. A percentage of 25.77% had inadequate calcium intake, and a significantly higher prevalence was observed in girls (p = 0.006). Adequate calcium intake showed a positive association with the height z-score (p = 0.032). When assessing dietary patterns, schoolchildren with adequate calcium intakes had better nutritional adequacy in all nutrients, except cholesterol (p = 0.086) and fluorine (p = 0.503). These results suggest a public health problem that must be addressed through nutrition education programs to increase intake of calcium-rich food and to correct the associated dietary pattern.
Zinc Status Biomarkers and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Metabolic Syndrome: A Case Control Study
Authors: Freitas Erika , Cunha Aline , Aquino Sephora , Pedrosa Lucia , Lima Severina , Lima Josivan , Almeida Maria , Sena-Evangelista Karine
Published: February 2017

Metabolic syndrome (MS) involves pathophysiological alterations that might compromise zinc status. The aim of this study was to evaluate zinc status biomarkers and their associations with cardiometabolic factors in patients with MS. Our case control study included 88 patients with MS and 37 controls. We performed clinical and anthropometric assessments and obtained lipid, glycemic, and inflammatory profiles. We also evaluated zinc intake, plasma zinc, erythrocyte zinc, and 24-h urinary zinc excretion. The average zinc intake was significantly lower in the MS group (p < 0.001). Regression models indicated no significant differences in plasma zinc concentration (all p > 0.05) between the two groups. We found significantly higher erythrocyte zinc concentration in the MS group (p < 0.001) independent from co-variable adjustments. Twenty-four hour urinary zinc excretion was significantly higher in the MS group (p = 0.008), and adjustments for age and sex explained 21% of the difference (R2 = 0.21, p < 0.001). There were significant associations between zincuria and fasting blood glucose concentration (r = 0.479), waist circumference (r = 0.253), triglyceride concentration (r = 0.360), glycated hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.250), homeostatic model assessment—insulin resistance (r = 0.223), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentration (r = 0.427) (all p < 0.05) in the MS group. Patients with MS had alterations in zinc metabolism mainly characterized by an increase in erythrocyte zinc and higher zincuria.
The Effects of Iodine Fortified Milk on the Iodine Status of Lactating Mothers and Infants in an Area with a Successful Salt Iodization Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Nazeri Pantea , Mirmiran Parvin , Tahmasebinejad Zhale , Hedayati Mehdi , Delshad Hossein , Azizi Fereidoun
Published: February 2017

Iodine deficiency during the first two years of life may cause irreversible brain damage and mental retardation. The aim of the present study was to investigate, for the first time, the effect of iodine fortified milk on the iodine status of lactating mothers and their infants. In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, 84 lactating mother-infant pairs from health care centers were randomly selected. After meeting the inclusion criteria, lactating mothers were randomly assigned to two groups: the iodine fortified milk group and the control group (n = 42 each). Maternal and infant urine and breast milk samples were collected at 3–5 (baseline), 7, 10, 14 days, and 1 month postpartum, for a measurement of the iodine concentration. A total of 84 lactating mothers, with a mean age of 28.2 ± 4.5 years, and 84 infants, with a mean age of 4.2 ± 0.7 days, were included in the study. Compared to mothers of the control group, mothers receiving iodine fortified milk had higher urinary (p < 0.001) and breast milk (p < 0.001) iodine concentrations. Urinary iodine levels in infants revealed no significant differences between the two groups. The findings of this study indicate that supplementation with daily iodine fortified milk provides iodine nutrition adequacy among lactating mothers. However, it had no effect on the iodine status of infants, who were previously iodine sufficient.
Nanocarbons in Electrospun Polymeric Nanomats for Tissue Engineering: A Review
Authors: Scaffaro Roberto , Maio Andrea , Lopresti Francesco , Botta Luigi
Published: February 2017

Electrospinning is a versatile process technology, exploited for the production of fibers with varying diameters, ranging from nano- to micro-scale, particularly useful for a wide range of applications. Among these, tissue engineering is particularly relevant to this technology since electrospun fibers offer topological structure features similar to the native extracellular matrix, thus providing an excellent environment for the growth of cells and tissues. Recently, nanocarbons have been emerging as promising fillers for biopolymeric nanofibrous scaffolds. In fact, they offer interesting physicochemical properties due to their small size, large surface area, high electrical conductivity and ability to interface/interact with the cells/tissues. Nevertheless, their biocompatibility is currently under debate and strictly correlated to their surface characteristics, in terms of chemical composition, hydrophilicity and roughness. Among the several nanofibrous scaffolds prepared by electrospinning, biopolymer/nanocarbons systems exhibit huge potential applications, since they combine the features of the matrix with those determined by the nanocarbons, such as conductivity and improved bioactivity. Furthermore, combining nanocarbons and electrospinning allows designing structures with engineered patterns at both nano- and microscale level. This article presents a comprehensive review of various types of electrospun polymer-nanocarbon currently used for tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, the differences among graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanodiamonds and fullerenes and their effect on the ultimate properties of the polymer-based nanofibrous scaffolds is elucidated and critically reviewed.
An Empirical Ocean Colour Algorithm for Estimating the Contribution of Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter in North-Central Western Adriatic Sea
Authors: Campanelli Alessandra , Pascucci Simone , Betti Mattia , Grilli Federica , Marini Mauro , Pignatti Stefano , Guicciardi Stefano
Published: February 2017

The performance of empirical band ratio models were evaluated for the estimation of Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) using MODIS ocean colour sensor images and data collected on the North-Central Western Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Relationships between in situ measurements (2013–2016) of CDOM absorption coefficients at 355 nm (aCDOM355) with several MODIS satellite band ratios were evaluated on a test data set. The prediction capability of the different linear models was assessed on a validation data set. Based on some statistical diagnostic parameters (R2, APD and RMSE), the best MODIS band ratio performance in retrieving CDOM was obtained by a simple linear model of the transformed dependent variable using the remote sensing reflectance band ratio Rrs(667)/Rrs(488) as the only independent variable. The best-retrieved CDOM algorithm provides very good results for the complex coastal area along the North-Central Western Adriatic Sea where the Po River outflow is the main driving force in CDOM and nutrient circulation, which in winter mostly remains confined to a coastal boundary layer, whereas in summer it spreads to the open sea as well.
Specific Land Cover Class Mapping by Semi-Supervised Weighted Support Vector Machines
Authors: Silva Joel , Bacao Fernando , Caetano Mario
Published: February 2017

In many remote sensing projects on land cover mapping, the interest is often in a sub-set of classes presented in the study area. Conventional multi-class classification may lead to a considerable training effort and to the underestimation of the classes of interest. On the other hand, one-class classifiers require much less training, but may overestimate the real extension of the class of interest. This paper illustrates the combined use of cost-sensitive and semi-supervised learning to overcome these difficulties. This method utilises a manually-collected set of pixels of the class of interest and a random sample of pixels, keeping the training effort low. Each data point is then weighted according to its distance to its near positive data point to inform the learning algorithm. The proposed approach was compared with a conventional multi-class classifier, a one-class classifier, and a semi-supervised classifier in the discrimination of high-mangrove in Saloum estuary, Senegal, from Landsat imagery. The derived classification accuracies were high: 93.90% for the multi-class supervised classifier, 90.75% for the semi-supervised classifier, 88.75% for the one-class classifier, and 93.75% for the proposed method. The results show that accuracy achieved with the proposed method is statistically non-inferior to that achieved with standard binary classification, requiring however much less training effort.
Accuracy Assessment of Digital Surface Models from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’ Imagery on Glaciers
Authors: Gindraux Saskia , Boesch Ruedi , Farinotti Daniel
Published: February 2017

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for photogrammetric surveying has recently gained enormous popularity. Images taken from UAVs are used for generating Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and orthorectified images. In the glaciological context, these can serve for quantifying ice volume change or glacier motion. This study focuses on the accuracy of UAV-derived DSMs. In particular, we analyze the influence of the number and disposition of Ground Control Points (GCPs) needed for georeferencing the derived products. A total of 1321 different DSMs were generated from eight surveys distributed on three glaciers in the Swiss Alps during winter, summer and autumn. The vertical and horizontal accuracy was assessed by cross-validation with thousands of validation points measured with a Global Positioning System. Our results show that the accuracy increases asymptotically with increasing number of GCPs until a certain density of GCPs is reached. We call this the optimal GCP density. The results indicate that DSMs built with this optimal GCP density have a vertical (horizontal) accuracy ranging between 0.10 and 0.25 m (0.03 and 0.09 m) across all datasets. In addition, the impact of the GCP distribution on the DSM accuracy was investigated. The local accuracy of a DSM decreases when increasing the distance to the closest GCP, typically at a rate of 0.09 m per 100-m distance. The impact of the glacier’s surface texture (ice or snow) was also addressed. The results show that besides cases with a surface covered by fresh snow, the surface texture does not significantly influence the DSM accuracy.
An Adaptive Multi-Sensor Data Fusion Method Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Fault Diagnosis of Planetary Gearbox
Authors: Jing Luyang , Wang Taiyong , Zhao Ming , Wang Peng
Published: February 2017

A fault diagnosis approach based on multi-sensor data fusion is a promising tool to deal with complicated damage detection problems of mechanical systems. Nevertheless, this approach suffers from two challenges, which are (1) the feature extraction from various types of sensory data and (2) the selection of a suitable fusion level. It is usually difficult to choose an optimal feature or fusion level for a specific fault diagnosis task, and extensive domain expertise and human labor are also highly required during these selections. To address these two challenges, we propose an adaptive multi-sensor data fusion method based on deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) for fault diagnosis. The proposed method can learn features from raw data and optimize a combination of different fusion levels adaptively to satisfy the requirements of any fault diagnosis task. The proposed method is tested through a planetary gearbox test rig. Handcraft features, manual-selected fusion levels, single sensory data, and two traditional intelligent models, back-propagation neural networks (BPNN) and a support vector machine (SVM), are used as comparisons in the experiment. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to detect the conditions of the planetary gearbox effectively with the best diagnosis accuracy among all comparative methods in the experiment.
Inertial Navigation System/Doppler Velocity Log (INS/DVL) Fusion with Partial DVL Measurements
Authors: Tal Asaf , Klein Itzik , Katz Reuven
Published: February 2017

The Technion autonomous underwater vehicle (TAUV) is an ongoing project aiming to develop and produce a small AUV to carry on research missions, including payload dropping, and to demonstrate acoustic communication. Its navigation system is based on an inertial navigation system (INS) aided by a Doppler velocity log (DVL), magnetometer, and pressure sensor (PS). In many INSs, such as the one used in TAUV, only the velocity vector (provided by the DVL) can be used for aiding the INS, i.e., enabling only a loosely coupled integration approach. In cases of partial DVL measurements, such as failure to maintain bottom lock, the DVL cannot estimate the vehicle velocity. Thus, in partial DVL situations no velocity data can be integrated into the TAUV INS, and as a result its navigation solution will drift in time. To circumvent that problem, we propose a DVL-based vehicle velocity solution using the measured partial raw data of the DVL and additional information, thereby deriving an extended loosely coupled (ELC) approach. The implementation of the ELC approach requires only software modification. In addition, we present the TAUV six degrees of freedom (6DOF) simulation that includes all functional subsystems. Using this simulation, the proposed approach is evaluated and the benefit of using it is shown.
Dynamic Fluid in a Porous Transducer-Based Angular Accelerometer
Authors: Cheng Siyuan , Fu Mengyin , Wang Meiling , Ming Li , Fu Huijin , Wang Tonglei
Published: February 2017

This paper presents a theoretical model of the dynamics of liquid flow in an angular accelerometer comprising a porous transducer in a circular tube of liquid. Wave speed and dynamic permeability of the transducer are considered to describe the relation between angular acceleration and the differential pressure on the transducer. The permeability and streaming potential coupling coefficient of the transducer are determined in the experiments, and special prototypes are utilized to validate the theoretical model in both the frequency and time domains. The model is applied to analyze the influence of structural parameters on the frequency response and the transient response of the fluidic system. It is shown that the radius of the circular tube and the wave speed affect the low frequency gain, as well as the bandwidth of the sensor. The hydrodynamic resistance of the transducer and the cross-section radius of the circular tube can be used to control the transient performance. The proposed model provides the basic techniques to achieve the optimization of the angular accelerometer together with the methodology to control the wave speed and the hydrodynamic resistance of the transducer.
Data Collection and Analysis Using Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Knee Range of Motion after Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Chiang Chih-Yen , Chen Kun-Hui , Liu Kai-Chun , Hsu Steen , Chan Chia-Tai
Published: February 2017

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most common treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis of that articulation. However, either in rehabilitation clinics or in hospital wards, the knee range of motion (ROM) can currently only be assessed using a goniometer. In order to provide continuous and objective measurements of knee ROM, we propose the use of wearable inertial sensors to record the knee ROM during the recovery progress. Digitalized and objective data can assist the surgeons to control the recovery status and flexibly adjust rehabilitation programs during the early acute inpatient stage. The more knee flexion ROM regained during the early inpatient period, the better the long-term knee recovery will be and the sooner early discharge can be achieved. The results of this work show that the proposed wearable sensor approach can provide an alternative for continuous monitoring and objective assessment of knee ROM recovery progress for TKA patients compared to the traditional goniometer measurements.
A Soft Sensor-Based Three-Dimensional (3-D) Finger Motion Measurement System
Authors: Park Wookeun , Ro Kyongkwan , Kim Suin , Bae Joonbum
Published: February 2017

In this study, a soft sensor-based three-dimensional (3-D) finger motion measurement system is proposed. The sensors, made of the soft material Ecoflex, comprise embedded microchannels filled with a conductive liquid metal (EGaln). The superior elasticity, light weight, and sensitivity of soft sensors allows them to be embedded in environments in which conventional sensors cannot. Complicated finger joints, such as the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of the thumb are modeled to specify the location of the sensors. Algorithms to decouple the signals from soft sensors are proposed to extract the pure flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction joint angles. The performance of the proposed system and algorithms are verified by comparison with a camera-based motion capture system.
A Temperature-Dependent Battery Model for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Rodrigues Leonardo , Montez Carlos , Moraes Ricardo , Portugal Paulo , Vasques Francisco
Published: February 2017

Energy consumption is a major issue in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), as nodes are powered by chemical batteries with an upper bounded lifetime. Estimating the lifetime of batteries is a difficult task, as it depends on several factors, such as operating temperatures and discharge rates. Analytical battery models can be used for estimating both the battery lifetime and the voltage behavior over time. Still, available models usually do not consider the impact of operating temperatures on the battery behavior. The target of this work is to extend the widely-used Kinetic Battery Model (KiBaM) to include the effect of temperature on the battery behavior. The proposed Temperature-Dependent KiBaM (T-KiBaM) is able to handle operating temperatures, providing better estimates for the battery lifetime and voltage behavior. The performed experimental validation shows that T-KiBaM achieves an average accuracy error smaller than 0.33%, when estimating the lifetime of Ni-MH batteries for different temperature conditions. In addition, T-KiBaM significantly improves the original KiBaM voltage model. The proposed model can be easily adapted to handle other battery technologies, enabling the consideration of different WSN deployments.
The Impact of 3D Stacking and Technology Scaling on the Power and Area of Stereo Matching Processors
Authors: Ok Seung-Ho , Lee Yong-Hwan , Shim Jae , Lim Sung , Moon Byungin
Published: February 2017

Recently, stereo matching processors have been adopted in real-time embedded systems such as intelligent robots and autonomous vehicles, which require minimal hardware resources and low power consumption. Meanwhile, thanks to the through-silicon via (TSV), three-dimensional (3D) stacking technology has emerged as a practical solution to achieving the desired requirements of a high-performance circuit. In this paper, we present the benefits of 3D stacking and process technology scaling on stereo matching processors. We implemented 2-tier 3D-stacked stereo matching processors with GlobalFoundries 130-nm and Nangate 45-nm process design kits and compare them with their two-dimensional (2D) counterparts to identify comprehensive design benefits. In addition, we examine the findings from various analyses to identify the power benefits of 3D-stacked integrated circuit (IC) and device technology advancements. From experiments, we observe that the proposed 3D-stacked ICs, compared to their 2D IC counterparts, obtain 43% area, 13% power, and 14% wire length reductions. In addition, we present a logic partitioning method suitable for a pipeline-based hardware architecture that minimizes the use of TSVs.
Dual MIMU Pedestrian Navigation by Inequality Constraint Kalman Filtering
Authors: Shi Wei , Wang Yang , Wu Yuanxin
Published: February 2017

The foot-mounted inertial navigation system is an important method of pedestrian navigation as it, in principle, does not rely any external assistance. A real-time range decomposition constraint method is proposed in this paper to combine the information of dual foot-mounted inertial navigation systems. It is well known that low-cost inertial pedestrian navigation aided with both ZUPT (zero velocity update) and the range decomposition constraint performs better than those in their own respective methods. This paper recommends that the separation distance between the position estimates of the two foot-mounted inertial navigation systems be restricted by an ellipsoidal constraint that relates to the maximum step length and the leg height. The performance of the proposed method is studied by utilizing experimental data, and the results indicate that the method can effectively correct the dual navigation systems’ position over the traditional spherical constraint.