ALBERT

Description: A proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method is used to interpolate the flow around an airfoil for various Mach numbers and angles of attack in the transonic regime. POD uses a few numerical simulations, called snapshots, to create eigenfunctions. These eigenfunctions are combined using weighting coefficients to create a new solution for different values of the input parameters. Since POD methods are linear, their interpolation capabilities are quite limited when dealing with flow presenting nonlinearities, such as shocks. In order to improve their performance for cases involving shocks, a new method is proposed using variable fidelity. The main idea is to use POD to interpolate the difference between the CFD solution obtained on two different grids, a coarse one and a fine one. Then, for any new input parameter value, a coarse grid solution is computed using CFD and the POD interpolated difference is added to predict the fine grid solution. This allows some nonlinearities associated with the flow to be introduced. Results for various Mach numbers and angles of attack are compared to full CFD results. The variable fidelity-based POD method shows good improvement over the classical approach.

Description: The preparation of carbon nanotube/metallic particle hybrids using pressed porous stainless steel pellets as a substrate is described. The catalytic growth of carbon nanotubes was carried out by CVD on a nickel catalyst obtained by impregnation of pellets with a highly dispersive colloidal solution of nickel acetate tetrahydrate in ethanol. Granular polyethylene was used as the carbon source. Metallic particles were deposited by thermal evaporation of Pt and Ag using pellets with grown carbon nanotubes as a base. The use of such composites as fuel cell electrodes is discussed.

Description: Background: The process of creating and designing Virtual Patients for teaching students of medicine is an expensive and time-consuming task. In order to explore potential methods of mitigating these costs, our group began exploring the possibility of creating Virtual Patients based on electronic health records. This review assesses the usage of electronic health records in the creation of interactive Virtual Patients for teaching clinical decision-making. Methods: The PubMed database was accessed programmatically to find papers relating to Virtual Patients. The returned citations were classified and the relevant full text articles were reviewed to find Virtual Patient systems that used electronic health records to create learning modalities. Results: A total of n = 362 citations were found on PubMed and subsequently classified, of which n = 28 full-text articles were reviewed. Few articles used unformatted electronic health records other than patient CT or MRI scans. The use of patient data, extracted from electronic health records or otherwise, is widespread. The use of unformatted electronic health records in their raw form is less frequent. Patient data use is broad and spans several areas, such as teaching, training, 3D visualisation, and assessment. Conclusions: Virtual Patients that are based on real patient data are widespread, yet the use of unformatted electronic health records, abundant in hospital information systems, is reported less often. The majority of teaching systems use reformatted patient data gathered from electronic health records, and do not use these electronic health records directly. Furthermore, many systems were found that used patient data in the form of CT or MRI scans. Much potential research exists regarding the use of unformatted electronic health records for the creation of Virtual Patients.

Description: Background: Despite their widespread use, the biological mechanisms underlying the efficacy of psychotropic drugs are still incompletely known; improved understanding of these is essential for development of novel more effective drugs and rational design of therapy. Given the large number of psychotropic drugs available and their differential pharmacological effects, it would be important to establish specific predictors of response to various classes of drugs. Results: To identify the molecular mechanisms that may initiate therapeutic effects, whole-genome expression profiling (using 324 Illumina Mouse WG-6 microarrays) of drug-induced alterations in the mouse brain was undertaken, with a focus on the time-course (1, 2, 4 and 8 h) of gene expression changes produced by eighteen major psychotropic drugs: antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, psychostimulants and opioids. The resulting database is freely accessible at www.genes2mind.org. Bioinformatics approaches led to the identification of three main drug-responsive genomic networks and indicated neurobiological pathways that mediate the alterations in transcription. Each tested psychotropic drug was characterized by a unique gene network expression profile related to its neuropharmacological properties. Functional links that connect expression of the networks to the development of neuronal adaptations (MAPK signaling pathway), control of brain metabolism (adipocytokine pathway), and organization of cell projections (mTOR pathway) were found. Conclusions: The comparison of gene expression alterations between various drugs opened a new means to classify the different psychoactive compounds and to predict their cellular targets; this is well exemplified in the case of tianeptine, an antidepressant with unknown mechanisms of action. This work represents the first proof-of-concept study of a molecular classification of psychoactive drugs.

Description: Phage PhiC31 integrase integrates attB-containing plasmid into pseudo attP site in eukaryotic genomes in a unidirectional site-specific manner and maintains robust transgene expression. Few studies, however, explore its potential in livestock. This study aims to discover the molecular basis of PhiC31 integrase-mediated site-specific recombination in pig cells. We show that PhiC31 integrase can mediate site-specific transgene integration into the genome of pig kidney PK15 cells. Intramolecular recombination in pig PK15 cell line occurred at maximum frequency of 82% with transiently transfected attB- and attP-containing plasmids. An optimal molar ratio of pCMV-Int to pEGFP-N1-attB at 5:1 was observed for maximum number of cell clones under drug selection. Four candidate pseudo attP sites were identified by TAIL-PCR from those cell clones with single-copy transgene integration. Two of them gave rise to higher integration frequency occurred at 33%. 5[prime]and 3[prime]junction PCR showed that transgene integration mediated by PhiC31 integrase was mono-allelic. Micro- deletion and insertion were observed by sequencing the integration border, indicating that double strand break was induced by the recombination. We then constructed rescue reporter plasmids by ABI-REC cloning of the four pseudo attP sites into pBCPB + plasmid. Transfection of these rescue plasmids and pCMV-Int resulted in expected intramolecular recombination between attB and pseudo attP sites. This proved that the endogenous pseudo attP sites were functional substrates for PhiC31 integrase-mediated site-specific recombination. Two pseudo attP sites maintained robust extracellular and intracellular EGFP expression. Alamar blue assay showed that transgene integration into these specific sites had little effect on cell proliferation. This is the first report to document the potential use of PhiC31 integrase to mediate site-specific recombination in pig cells. Our work established an ideal model to study the position effect of identical transgene located in diverse chromosomal contexts. These findings also form the basis for targeted pig genome engineering and may be used to produce genetically modified pigs for agricultural and biomedical uses.

Description: Background: The molecular epidemiology of C. jejuni and C. coli clinical strains isolated from children with gastroenteritis, was investigated using the multilocus sequence typing method (MLST). This analysis establishes for the first time in Greece and constitutes an important tool for the epidemiological surveillance and control of Campylobacter infection in our country. Methods: The MLST genotypes were compared with those gained by other typing methods (HS-typing, PFGE and FlaA typing) and were also phylogenetically analyzed, in order to uncover genetic relationships. Results: Among 68 C. jejuni strains, 41 different MLST-Sequence Types (MLST-STs) were found. Fifty six strains or 34 MLST-STs could be sorted into 15 different MLST-Sequence Type Complexes (MLST-STCs), while twelve strains or seven MLST-STs did not match any of the MLST-STCs of the database. Twenty C. coli strains belonged to 14 different MLST-STs. Eleven MLST-STs were classified in the same MLST-STC (828), and three were unclassifiable. There was no significant association between the MLST-STs and the results of the other typing methods.Phylogenetic analysis revealed that some strains, classified to the species of C. jejuni, formed a separate, phylogenetically distinct group. In eight strains some alleles belonging to the taxonomic cluster of C. jejuni, were also detected in C. coli and vice versa, a phenomenon caused by the genetic mosaic encountered inside the genus Campylobacter. Conclusions: The MLST-ST determination proved to be a very useful tool for the typing as well as the identification of Campylobacter on the species level.

Description: Background: Opsins have been found in the majority of animals and their most apparent functions are related to vision and light-guided behaviour. As an increasing number of sequences have become available it has become clear that many opsin-like transcripts are expressed in tissues other than the eyes. Opsins can be divided into three main groups: rhabdomeric opsins (r-opsins), ciliary opsins (c-opsins) and group 4 opsins. In arthropods, the main focus has been on the r-opsins involved in vision. However, with increased sequencing it is becoming clear that arthropods also possess opsins of the c-type, group 4 opsins and the newly discovered arthropsins but the functions of these opsins are unknown in arthropods and data on their localisation is limited or absent. Results: We identified opsins from the spider Cupiennius salei and the onychophoran Euperipatoides kanangrensis and characterised the phylogeny and localisation of these transcripts. We recovered all known visual opsins in C. salei, and in addition found a peropsin, a c-opsin and an opsin resembling Daphnia pulex arthropsin. The peropsin was expressed in all eye types except the anterior median eyes. The arthropsin and the c-opsin were expressed in the central nervous system but not the eyes. In E. kanangrensis we found: a c-opsin; an opsin resembling D. pulex arthropsins; and an r-opsin with high sequence similarity to previously published onychophoran onychopsins. The E. kanangrensis c-opsin and onychopsin were expressed in both the eyes and the brain but the arthropsin only in the brain. Conclusion: Our novel finding that opsins of both the ciliary and rhabdomeric type are present in the onychophoran and a spider suggests that these two types of opsins were present in the last common ancestor of the Onychophora and Euarthropoda. The expression of the c-opsin in the eye of an onychophoran indicates that c-opsins may originally have been involved in vision in the arthropod clade. The lack of c-opsin expression in the spider retina suggests that the role for c-opsin in vision was lost in the euarthropods. Our discovery of arthropsin in onychophorans and spiders dates the emergence of arthropsin to the common ancestor of Onychophora and Euarthropoda and their expression in the brain suggests a non-visual function.

Description: This work provides a distributed fault-tolerant event region detection algorithm for wireless sensor networks. The proposed algorithm can identify faulty and fault-free sensors and ignore the abnormal readings to avoid false alarm. Moreover, every event region can also be detected and identified. Simulation results show that fault detection accuracy (FDA) is greater than 92%, false alarm rate (FAR) is near 0%, and event detection accuracy (EDA) is greater than 99% under uniform distribution. FDA is greater than 92%, FAR is less than 1.2%, and EDA is greater than 88% under random distribution when sensor fault probability is less than 0.3.

Description: Background: Statin-fibrate combination therapy has been used to treat patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) complicated by elevated triglycerides (TG) and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the combination therapy on lipids profile and apolipoprotein A5 (apoA5) level in patients with ACS. Methods: One hundred and four patients with ACS were recruited and randomly assigned into two groups: one was statin group (n = 52), given atorvastatin (20 mg QN) or other statins with equivalent dosages; the other was combination group (n = 52), given the same dose of statin plus bezafibrate (200 mg BID). Follow-up visits were scheduled at the end of 6 and 12 weeks post treatment. Serum apoA5 levels were determined using a commercial available ELISA kit. Results: (1) Compared with that of statin monotherapy, statin-bezafibrate combination treatment not only resulted in a significant reduction of TG, TC and LDL-C levels , (all p 〈 0.05), but also led to increases in HDL-C and apoA5 levels (p 〈 0.05).(2) The percentage changes of TC, TG, LDL-C and apoA5 levels in both groups were even bigger at 12 weeks after treatment than that at 6 weeks.(all p 〈 0.05). Similarly, the rates of achieving lipid-control target were higher in statin-bezafibrate combination treatment group than those in statin monotherapy group (all p 〈 0.05).(3) Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that the pre-treatment apoA5 level was positively correlated with TG (r = 0.359, p = 0.009). However, a negative correlation was observed between apoA5 and TG (r = -0.329, p = 0.017) after 12 weeks treatment. Conclusions: Statin and fibrate combination therapy is more effective than statin alone in achieving a comprehensive lipid control for ACS patients. Serum apoA5 elevation after statin and fibrate combination treatment could be due to the synergistic effect of both drugs on hypertriglyceridemia control.

Description: Pupylation, one of the most important posttranslational modifications of proteins, typically takes place when prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup) is attached to specific lysine residues on a target protein. Identification of pupylation substrates and their corresponding sites will facilitate the understanding of the molecular mechanism of pupylation. Comparing with the labor-intensive and time-consuming experiment approaches, computational prediction of pupylation sites is much desirable for their convenience and fast speed. In this study, a new bioinformatics tool named EnsemblePup was developed that used an ensemble of support vector machine classifiers to predict pupylation sites. The highlight of EnsemblePup was to utilize the Bi-profile Bayes feature extraction as the encoding scheme. The performance of EnsemblePup was measured with a sensitivity of 79.49%, a specificity of 82.35%, an accuracy of 85.43%, and a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.617 using the 5-fold cross validation on the training dataset. When compared with other existing methods on a benchmark dataset, the EnsemblePup provided better predictive performance, with a sensitivity of 80.00%, a specificity of 83.33%, an accuracy of 82.00%, and a Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.629. The experimental results suggested that EnsemblePup presented here might be useful to identify and annotate potential pupylation sites in proteins of interest. A web server for predicting pupylation sites was developed.

Description: Background: The geographic distribution of evolutionary lineages and the patterns of gene flow upon secondary contact provide insight into the process of divergence and speciation. We explore the evolutionary history of the common lizard Zootoca vivipara (= Lacerta vivipara) in the Iberian Peninsula and test the role of the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains in restricting gene flow and driving lineage isolation and divergence. We also assess patterns of introgression among lineages upon secondary contact, and test for the role of high-elevation trans-mountain colonisations in explaining spatial patterns of genetic diversity. We use mtDNA sequence data and genome-wide AFLP loci to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among lineages, and measure genetic structure Results: The main genetic split in mtDNA corresponds generally to the French and Spanish sides of the Pyrenees as previously reported, in contrast to genome-wide AFLP data, which show a major division between NW Spain and the rest. Both types of markers support the existence of four distinct and geographically congruent genetic groups, which are consistent with major topographic barriers. Both datasets reveal the presence of three independent contact zones between lineages in the Pyrenean region, one in the Basque lowlands, one in the low-elevation mountains of the western Pyrenees, and one in the French side of the central Pyrenees. The latter shows genetic evidence of a recent, high-altitude trans-Pyrenean incursion from Spain into France. Conclusions: The distribution and age of major lineages is consistent with a Pleistocene origin and a role for both the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains in driving isolation and differentiation of Z. vivipara lineages at large geographic scales. However, mountain ranges are not always effective barriers to dispersal, and have not prevented a recent high-elevation trans-Pyrenean incursion that has led to asymmetrical introgression among divergent lineages. Cytonuclear discordance in patterns of genetic structure and introgression at contact zones suggests selection may be involved at various scales. Suture zones are important areas for the study of lineage formation and speciation, and our results show that biogeographic barriers can yield markedly different phylogeographic patterns in different vertebrate and invertebrate taxa.

Description: Background: Loss of CpG dinucleotides in genomic DNA through methylation-induced mutation is characteristic of vertebrates and plants. However, these and other eukaryotic phyla show a range of other dinucleotide frequency biases with currently uncharacterized underlying mutational or selection mechanisms. We developed a parameterized Markov process to identify what neighbour context-dependent mutations best accounted for patterns of dinucleotide frequency biases in genomic and cytoplasmically expressed mRNA sequences of different vertebrates, other eukaryotic groups and RNA viruses that infect them. Results: Consistently, 11- to 14-fold greater frequencies of the methylation-association mutation of C to T upstream of G (depicted C[rightwards arrow]T,G) than other transitions best modelled dinucleotide frequencies in mammalian genomic DNA. However, further mutations such as G[rightwards arrow]T,T (5-fold greater than the default transversion rate) were required to account for the full spectrum of dinucleotide frequencies in mammalian sequence datasets. Consistent with modeling predictions for these two mutations, instability of both CpG and CpT dinucleotides was identified through SNP frequency analysis of human DNA sequences. Different sets of context-dependent mutations were modelled in other eukaryotes with non-methylated genomic DNA. In contrast to genomic DNA, best-fit models of dinucleotide frequencies in transcribed RNA sequences expressed in the cytoplasm from all organisms were dominated by mutations that eliminated UpA dinucleotides, observations consistent with cytoplasmically driven selection for mRNA stability. Surprisingly, mRNA sequences from organisms with methylated genomes showed evidence for additional selection against CpG through further context-dependent mutations (eg. C[rightwards arrow]A,G). Similar mutation or selection processes were identified among single-stranded mammalian RNA viruses; these potentially account for their previously described but unexplained under-representations of CpG and UpA dinucleotides. Conclusions: Methods we have developed identify mutational processes and selection pressures in organisms provide new insights into nucleotide compositional constraints and a wealth of biochemical and evolutionarily testable predictions for the future.

Description: Background: Human resources are an important building block of the health system. During the last decade, enormous investment has gone into the information systems to manage human resources, but due to the lack of a clear vision, policy, and strategy, the results of these efforts have not been very visible. No reliable information portal captures the actual state of human resources in Pakistan's health sector. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided technical support for the assessment of the existing system and development of a comprehensive Human Resource Information System (HRIS) in Pakistan. Methods: The questions in the WHO-HRIS Assessment tool were distributed into five thematic groups. Purposively selected (n=65) representatives from the government, private sector, and development partners participated in this cross sectional study, based on their programmatic affiliations. Results: Fifty-five percent of organizations and departments have an independent Human Resources (HR) section managed by an establishment branch and are fully equipped with functional computers. Forty-five organizations (70%) had HR rules, regulations and coordination mechanisms, yet these are not implemented. Data reporting is mainly in paper form, on prescribed forms (51%), registers (3%) or even plain papers (20%). Data analysis does not give inputs to the decision making process and dissemination of information is quite erratic. Most of the organizations had no feedback mechanism for cross checking the HR data, rendering it unreliable. Conclusion: Pakistan is lacking appropriate HRIS management. The current HRIS indeed has a multitude of problems. In the wake of 2011 reforms within the health sector, provinces are even in a greater need for planning their respective health department services and must work on the deficiencies and inefficiencies of their HRIS so that the gaps and HR needs are better aligned for reaching the 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets.

Description: Background: Ramie fiber extracted from stem bark is one of the most important natural fibers. Drought is a main environment stress which severely inhibits the stem growth of ramie and leads to a decrease of the fiber yield. The drought stress-regulatory mechanism of ramie is poorly understood.Result: Using Illumina sequencing, approximately 4.8 and 4.7 million (M) 21-nt cDNA tags were respectively sequenced in the cDNA libraries derived from the drought-stressed ramie (DS) and the control ramie under well water condition (CO). The tags generated from the two libraries were aligned with ramie transcriptome to annotate their function and a total of 23,912 and 22,826 ramie genes were matched by these tags of DS and CO library, respectively. Comparison of gene expression level between CO and DS ramie based on the differences of tag frequencies appearing in the two libraries revealed that there were 1516 potential drought stress-responsive genes, in which 24 genes function as transcription factor (TF). Among these 24 TFs, the unigene19721 encoding the DELLA protein which is a key negative regulator in gibberellins (GAs) signal pathway was probably markedly up-regulated under water stress for a increase of tag abundance in DS library, which is possibly responsible for the inhibition of the growth of drought-stressed ramie. In order to validate the change of expression of these potential stress-responsive TFs under water deficit condition, the unigene19721 and another eleven potential stress-responsive TFs were chosen for further expression analysis in well-watered and drought-stressed ramie by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and the result showed that all 12 TFs were authentically involved in the response of drought stress. Conclusion: In this study, twelve TFs involving in the response of drought stress were first found by Illumina tag-sequencing and qRT-PCR in ramie. The discovery of these drought stress-responsive TFs will be helpful for further understanding the drought stress-regulatory mechanism of ramie and improving the drought tolerance ability of ramie.

Description: We used a one-dimensional simulation program Solar Cell Capacitance Simulator in 1 Dimension (SCAPS-1D) to investigate Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide- (CIGS-) based solar cells properties. Starting with a conventional ZnO-B/i-ZnO/CdS/CIGS structure, we simulated the parameters of current-voltage characteristics and showed how the absorber layer thickness, hole density, and band gap influence the short-circuit current density (), open-circuit voltage (), fill factor (FF), and efficiency of solar cell. Our simulation results showed that all electrical parameters are greatly affected by the absorber thickness (w) below 1000 nm, due to the increase of back-contact recombination and very poor absorption. Increasing hole density (p) or absorber band gap () improves and leads to high efficiency, which equals value of 16.1% when p = 1016 cm−3 and  eV. In order to reduce back-contact recombination, the effect of a very thin layer with high band gap inserted near the back contact and acting as electrons reflector, the so-called back-electron reflector (EBR), has been investigated. The performances of the solar cells are significantly improved, when ultrathin absorbers (w 〈 500 nm) are used; the corresponding gain of due to the EBR is 3 mA/cm2. Our results are in good agreement with those reported in the literature from experiments.

Description: The work presents comparisons of the flame stabilization characteristics of axisymmetric disk and 2D slender bluff-body burner configurations, operating with inlet mixture stratification, under ultralean conditions. A double cavity propane air premixer formed along three concentric disks, supplied with a radial equivalence ratio gradient the afterbody disk recirculation, where the first flame configuration is stabilized. Planar fuel injection along the center plane of the leading face of a slender square cylinder against the approach cross-flow results in a stratified flame configuration stabilized alongside the wake formation region in the second setup. Measurements of velocities, temperatures, and chemiluminescence, local extinction criteria, and large-eddy simulations are employed to examine a range of ultralean and close to extinction flame conditions. The variations of the reacting front disposition within these diverse reacting wake topologies, the effect of the successive suppression of heat release on the near flame region characteristics, and the reemergence of large-scale vortical activity on approach to lean blowoff (LBO) are investigated. The cross-correlation of the performance of these two popular flame holders that are at the opposite ends of current applications might offer helpful insights into more effective control measures for expanding the operational margin of a wider range of stabilization configurations.

Description: Background: The great majority of afferent neurons of insect legs project into their segmental ganglion. Intersegmental projections are rare and are only formed by sense organs associated with the basal joints of the legs. Such intersegmental projections never ascend as far as the brain and they form extensive ramifications within thoracic ganglia. A few afferents of chordotonal organs of the subcoxal joints ascend as far as the suboesophageal ganglion. Results: We describe novel afferent neurons in distal segments of locust legs that project directly into the brain without forming ramifications in other ganglia. In the brain, the fibres terminate with characteristic terminals in a small neuropile previously named the superficial ventral inferior protocerebrum. The somata of these neurons are located in the tibiae and tarsi of all legs and they are located within branches of peripheral nerves, or closely associated with such branches. They are not associated with any accessory structures such as tendons or connective tissue strands as typical for insect internal mechanoreceptors such as chordotonal organs or stretch receptors. Morphologically they show great similarity to certain insect infrared receptors.We could not observe projections into the superficial ventral inferior protocerebrum after staining mandibular or labial nerves, but we confirm previous studies that showed projections into the same brain neuropile after staining maxillary and antennal nerves, indicating that most likely similar neurons are present in these appendages also. Conclusion: Because of their location deep within the lumen of appendages the function of these neurons as infrared receptors is unlikely. Their projection pattern and other morphological features indicate that the neurons convey information about an internal physiological parameter directly into a special brain neuropile. We discuss their possible function as thermoreceptors.

Description: This review covers methods for modifying the structures of polysaccharides. The introduction of hydrophobic, acidic, basic, or other functionality into polysaccharide structures can alter the properties of materials based on these substances. The development of chemical methods to achieve this aim is an ongoing area of research that is expected to become more important as the emphasis on using renewable starting materials and sustainable processes increases in the future. The methods covered in this review include ester and ether formation using saccharide oxygen nucleophiles, including enzymatic reactions and aspects of regioselectivity; the introduction of heteroatomic nucleophiles into polysaccharide chains; the oxidation of polysaccharides, including oxidative glycol cleavage, chemical oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids, and enzymatic oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes; reactions of uronic-acid-based polysaccharides; nucleophilic reactions of the amines of chitosan; and the formation of unsaturated polysaccharide derivatives.

Description: The electroreduction behaviour and determination of cefoperazone using a hanging mercury drop electrode were investigated. Cyclic voltammograms of cefoperazone recorded in universal Britton-Robinson buffers pH 3–6 exhibited a single irreversible cathodic peak. The process was adsorption-controlled. Britton-Robinson buffer 0.04 M pH 4.0 was selected as a supporting electrolyte for quantitative purposes by differential pulse and square wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry. The experimental voltammetric conditions were optimized using Central Composite Face design. A reduction wave was seen in the range from −0.7 to −0.8 V. These voltammetric techniques were successfully validated as per ICH guidelines and applied for the determination of cefoperazone in its single and sulbactam containing powders for injection and statistically comparable to USP-HPLC. They were further extended to determine cefoperazone in spiked human urine with no matrix effect.

Description: The problem of exponential stability for the uncertain neutral Markovian jump systems with interval time-varying delays and nonlinear perturbations is investigated in this paper. This study starts from the corresponding nominal systems with known and partially unknown transition rates, respectively. By constructing a novel augmented Lyapunov functional which contains triple-integral terms and fully utilizes the bound of the delay, the delay-range-dependent and rate-dependent exponential stability criteria are developed by the Lyapunov theory, reciprocally convex lemma, and free weighting matrices. Then, the results about nominal systems are extended to the uncertain case. Finally, numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Description: The local fractional Schrödinger equations in the one-dimensional Cantorian system are investigated. The approximations solutions are obtained by using the local fractional series expansion method. The obtained solutions show that the present method is an efficient and simple tool for solving the linear partial differentiable equations within the local fractional derivative.

Description: Background: Decision support systems for differential diagnosis have traditionally been evaluated on the basis of criteria how sensitively and specifically they are able to identify the correct diagnosis established by expert clinicians.DiscussionThis article questions whether evaluation criteria pertaining to identifying the correct diagnosis are most appropriate or useful. Instead it advocates evaluation of decision support systems for differential diagnosis based on the criterion of maximizing value of information.SummaryThis approach quantitatively and systematically integrates several important clinical management priorities, including avoiding serious diagnostic errors of omission and avoiding harmful or expensive tests.

Description: Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella isolates are associated with increased morbidity compared to antibiotic-sensitive strains and are an important health and safety concern in both humans and animals. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a prevalent cause of foodborne disease, and a considerable number of S. Typhimurium isolates from humans and livestock are resistant to three or more antibiotics. The majority of these MDR S. Typhimurium isolates are resistant to tetracycline, a commonly used and clinically and agriculturally relevant antibiotic. Because exposure of drug-resistant bacteria to antibiotics can affect cellular processes associated with virulence, such as invasion, we investigated the effect tetracycline had on the invasiveness of tetracycline-resistant MDR S. Typhimurium isolates. Results: The isolates selected and tested were from two common definitive phage types of S. Typhimurium, DT104 and DT193, and were resistant to tetracycline and at least three other antibiotics. Although Salmonella invasiveness is temporally regulated and normally occurs during late-log growth phase, tetracycline exposure induced the full invasive phenotype in a cell culture assay during early-log growth in several DT193 isolates. No changes in invasiveness due to tetracycline exposure occurred in the DT104 isolates during early-log growth or in any of the isolates during late-log growth. Real-time PCR was used to test expression of the virulence genes hilA, prgH, and invF, and these genes were significantly up-regulated during early-log growth in most isolates due to tetracycline exposure; however, increased virulence gene expression did not always correspond with increased invasion, and therefore was not an accurate indicator of elevated invasiveness. This is the first report to assess DT193 isolates, as well as the early-log growth phase, in response to tetracycline exposure, and it was the combination of both parameters that was necessary to observe the induced invasion phenotype. Conclusions: In this report, we demonstrate that the invasiveness of MDR S. Typhimurium can be modulated in the presence of tetracycline, and this effect is dependent on growth phase, antibiotic concentration, and strain background. Identifying the conditions necessary to establish an invasive phenotype is important to elucidate the underlying factors associated with increased virulence of MDR Salmonella.

Description: Background: Mutations in the PTRF gene, coding for cavin-1, cause congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 4 (CGL4) associated with myopathy. In CGL4, symptoms are variable comprising, in addition to myopathy, smooth and skeletal muscle hypertrophy, cardiac arrhythmias, and skeletal abnormalities. Secondary features are atlantoaxial instability, acanthosis nigricans, hepatomegaly, umbilical prominence and metabolic abnormalities related to insulin resistance, such as diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and hepatic steatosis.Case presentationWe describe a 3 year-old child of Moroccan origin with mild muscle phenotype, mainly characterized by mounding, muscle pain, hyperCKemia and mild caveolin 3 reduction on muscle biopsy. No CAV3 gene mutation was detected; instead we found a novel mutation, a homozygous single base pair deletion, in the PTRF gene. Only after detection of this mutation a mild generalized loss of subcutaneous fat, at first underestimated, was noticed and the diagnosis of lipodystrophy inferred. Conclusions: The PTRF gene should be investigated in patients with hyperCKemia, mild myopathy associated with spontaneous or percussion-induced muscle contractions like rippling or mounding, and no CAV3 mutation. The analysis should be performed even if cardiac or metabolic alterations are absent, particularly in young patients in whom lipodystrophy may be difficult to ascertain.

Description: Background: Magnetotactic bacteria produce membrane-enveloped magnetite crystals (magnetosomes) whose formation is controlled primarily by a gene island termed the magnetosome island (MAI). Characterization of single gene and operon function in MAI has elucidated in part the genetic basis of magnetosome formation. The mamX gene, located in the mamXY operon, is highly conserved in the MAI of all Magnetospirillum strains studied to date. Little is known regarding the function of mamX in the process of biomineralization. Results: A mamX deletion mutant ([increment]mamX) and its complemented strain (CmamX) by conjugation in M. gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1 were constructed. There were no striking differences in cell growth among [increment]mamX, CmamX, and wild-type strain (WT). [increment]mamX displayed a much weaker magnetic response than WT. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of irregular, superparamagnetic magnetite particles in [increment]mamX, in contrast to regular, single-domain particles in WT and CmamX. The phenotype of [increment]mamX was similar to that of an ftsZ-like deleted mutant and mamXY operon deleted mutant reported previously. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qPCR) results indicated that the deletion of mamX had differential effects on the transcription levels of the other three genes in the operon. Conclusions: The MamX protein plays an important role in controlling magnetosome size, maturation, and crystal form. The four MamXY proteins appear to have redundant functions involved in magnetosome formation. Our findings provide new insights into the coordinated function of MAI genes and operons in magnetosome formation.

Description: Background: Host plant roots, mycorrhizal mycelium and microbes are important and potentially interacting factors shaping the performance of mycorrhization helper bacteria (MHB). We investigated the impact of a soil microbial community on the interaction between the extraradical mycelium of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Piloderma croceum and the MHB Streptomyces sp. AcH 505 in both the presence and the absence of pedunculate oak microcuttings. Results: Specific primers were designed to target the internal transcribed spacer of the rDNA and an intergenic region between two protein encoding genes of P. croceum and the intergenic region between the gyrA and gyrB genes of AcH 505. These primers were used to perform real-time PCR with DNA extracted from soil samples. With a sensitivity of 10 genome copies and a linear range of 6 orders of magnitude, these real-time PCR assays enabled the quantification of purified DNA from P. croceum and AcH 505, respectively. In soil microcosms, the fungal PCR signal was not affected by AcH 505 in the absence of the host plant. However, the fungal signal became weaker in the presence of the plant. This decrease was only observed in microbial filtrate amended microcosms. In contrast, the PCR signal of AcH 505 increased in the presence of P. croceum. The increase was not significant in sterile microcosms that contained plant roots. Conclusions: Real-time quantitative PCR assays provide a method for directly detecting and quantifying MHB and mycorrhizal fungi in plant microcosms. Our study indicates that the presence of microorganisms and plant roots can both affect the nature of MHB-fungus interactions, and that mycorrhizal fungi may enhance MHB growth.

Description: Background: Little is known about the Phasmatodea gut microbial community, including whether phasmids have symbiotic bacteria aiding in their digestion. While symbionts are near ubiquitous in herbivorous insects, the Phasmatodea's distinctively thin body shape precludes the gut enlargements needed for microbial fermentation. High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the entire microbiota of the fat bodies, salivary glands, and anterior and posterior midguts of two species of walking stick. Results: Most bacterial sequences belonged to a strain of Spiroplasma (Tenericutes) found primarily in the posterior midgut of the parthenogenetic species Ramulus artemis (Phasmatidae). Beyond this, no significant differences were found between the R. artemis midgut sections or between that species and Peruphasma schultei (Pseudophasmatidae). Histological analysis further indicated a lack of bacteriocytes. Conclusions: Phasmids are unlikely to depend on bacteria for digestion, suggesting they produce enzymes endogenously that most other herbivorous insects obtain from symbionts. This conclusion matches predictions based on phasmid anatomy. The role of Spiroplasma in insects warrants further study.

Description: Background: High-throughput sequencing technologies are improving in quality, capacity and costs, providing versatile applications in DNA and RNA research. For small genomes or fraction of larger genomes, DNA samples can be mixed and loaded together on the same sequencing track. This so-called multiplexing approach relies on a specific DNA tag or barcode that is attached to the sequencing or amplification primer and hence appears at the beginning of the sequence in every read. After sequencing, each sample read is identified on the basis of the respective barcode sequence.Alterations of DNA barcodes during synthesis, primer ligation, DNA amplification, or sequencing may lead to incorrect sample identification unless the error is revealed and corrected. This can be accomplished by implementing error correcting algorithms and codes. This barcoding strategy increases the total number of correctly identified samples, thus improving overall sequencing efficiency. Two popular sets of error-correcting codes are Hamming codes and Levenshtein codes.ResultLevenshtein codes operate only on words of known length. Since a DNA sequence with an embedded barcode is essentially one continuous long word, application of the classical Levenshtein algorithm is problematic. In this paper we demonstrate the decreased error correction capability of Levenshtein codes in a DNA context and suggest an adaptation of Levenshtein codes that is proven of efficiently correcting nucleotide errors in DNA sequences. In our adaption we take the DNA context into account and redefine the word length whenever an insertion or deletion is revealed. In simulations we show the superior error correction capability of the new method compared to traditional Levenshtein and Hamming based codes in the presence of multiple errors. Conclusion: We present an adaptation of Levenshtein codes to DNA contexts capable of correction of a pre-defined number of insertion, deletion, and substitution mutations. Our improved method is additionally capable of recovering the new length of the corrupted codeword and of correcting on average more random mutations than traditional Levenshtein or Hamming codes.As part of this work we prepared software for the flexible generation of DNA codes based on our new approach. To adapt codes to specific experimental conditions, the user can customize sequence filtering, the number of correctable mutations and barcode length for highest performance.

Description: Background: Angiogenesis is the main therapeutic mechanism of cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases, but diabetes is reported to reduce the function and number of progenitor cells. Therefore, we studied the effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) function, and examined whether diabetes-impaired MSC could be rescued by pretreatment with oxytocin. Results: MSCs were isolated and cultured from diabetic (DM) or non-diabetic (non-DM) rat, and proliferation rate was compared. DM-MSC was pretreated with oxytocin and compared with non-DM-MSC. Angiogenic capacity was estimated by tube formation and Matrigel plug assay, and therapeutic efficacy was studied in rat myocardial infarction (MI) model.The proliferation and angiogenic activity of DM-MSC were severely impaired but significantly improved by pretreatment with oxytocin. Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2), a critical angiogenic factor, was dramatically reduced in DM-MSC and significantly restored by oxytocin. In the Matrigel plug assay, vessel formation of DM-BMSCs was attenuated but was recovered by oxytocin. In rat MI model, DM-MSC injection did not ameliorate cardiac injury, whereas oxytocin-pretreated DM-MSC improved cardiac function and reduced fibrosis. Conclusions: Our results show that diabetes influenced MSC by reducing angiogenic capacity and therapeutic potential. We demonstrate the striking effect of oxytocin on stem cell dysfunction and suggest the use of oxytocin as a priming reagent in autologous stem cell therapy.

Description: Background: Temperature is one of key environmental parameters that affect the whole life of fishes and an increasing number of studies have been directed towards understanding the mechanisms of cold acclimation in fish. However, the adaptation of larvae to cold stress and the cold-specific transcriptional alterations in fish larvae remain largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the development of cold-tolerance in zebrafish larvae and investigated the transcriptional profiles under cold stress using RNA-seq. Results: Pre-exposure of 96hpf zebrafish larvae to cold stress (16[degree sign]C) for 24 h significantly increased their survival rates under severe cold stress (12[degree sign]C). RNA-seq generated 272 million raw reads from six sequencing libraries and about 92% of the processed reads were mapped to the reference genome of zebrafish. Differential expression analysis identified 1,431 up- and 399 down-regulated genes. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of cold-induced genes revealed that RNA splicing, ribosome biogenesis and protein catabolic process were the most highly overrepresented biological processes. Spliceosome, proteasome, eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis and RNA transport were the most highly enriched pathways for genes up-regulated by cold stress. Moreover, alternative splicing of 197 genes and promoter switching of 64 genes were found to be regulated by cold stress. A shorter isoform of stk16 that lacks 67 amino acids at the N-terminus was specifically generated by skipping the second exon in cold-treated larvae. Alternative promoter usage was detected for per3 gene under cold stress, which leading to a highly up-regulated transcript encoding a truncated protein lacking the C-terminal domains. Conclusions: These findings indicate that zebrafish larvae possess the ability to build cold-tolerance under mild low temperature and transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations are extensively involved in this acclimation process.

Description: Background: Apoptosis is a highly controlled process of cell death that can be induced by periodontopathogens. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of Fas and Bcl-2 proteins by CD3+ T cells in vitro under stimulation by total Porphyromonas gingivalis antigens and purified recombinant P. gingivalis HmuY protein. Results: CD3+ T cells derived from CP patients and stimulated with HmuY expressed higher levels of Bcl-2 compared to identical cells stimulated with P. gingivalis crude extract or cells derived from NP control subjects (p = 0.043). Conclusion: The authors hypothesize that P. gingivalis HmuY plays a role in the pathogenesis of chronic periodontitis, possibly by reducing or delaying apoptosis in T cells through a pathway involving the Bcl-2 protein.

Description: Background: It is increasingly recognized that the bacteria that live in and on the human body (the microbiome) can play an important role in health and disease. The composition of the microbiome is potentially influenced by both internal factors (such as phylogeny and host physiology) and external factors (such as diet and local environment), and interspecific comparisons can aid in understanding the importance of these factors. Results: To gain insights into the relative importance of these factors on saliva microbiome diversity, we here analyze the saliva microbiomes of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) from two sanctuaries in Africa, and from human workers at each sanctuary. The saliva microbiomes of the two Pan species are more similar to one another, and the saliva microbiomes of the two human groups are more similar to one another, than are the saliva microbiomes of human workers and apes from the same sanctuary. We also looked for the existence of a core microbiome and find no evidence for a taxon-based core saliva microbiome for Homo or Pan. In addition, we studied the saliva microbiome from apes from the Leipzig Zoo, and found an extraordinary diversity in the zoo ape saliva microbiomes that is not found in the saliva microbiomes of the sanctuary animals. Conclusions: The greater similarity of the saliva microbiomes of the two Pan species to one another, and of the two human groups to one another, are in accordance with both the phylogenetic relationships of the hosts as well as with host physiology. Moreover, the results from the zoo animals suggest that novel environments can have a large impact on the microbiome, and that microbiome analyses based on captive animals should be viewed with caution as they may not reflect the microbiome of animals in the wild.

Description: Background: The choice of variable selection methods to identify important variables for binary classification modeling is critical to produce stable models that are interpretable, that generate accurate predictions and have minimum bias. This work is motivated by data on clinical and laboratory features of severe dengue infections (dengue hemorrhagic fever, DHF) obtained from 51 individuals enrolled in a prospective observational study of acute human dengue infections. Results: We carry out a comprehensive performance comparison using several classification models for DHF over the dengue data set. We compared variable selection results by Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines, Learning Ensemble, Random Forest, Bayesian Moving Averaging, Stochastic Search Variable Selection, and Generalized Regularized Logistics Regression. Model averaging methods (bagging, boosting and ensemble learners) have higher accuracy, but the generalized regularized regression model has the highest predictive power because the linearity assumptions of candidate predictors are strongly satisfied via deviance chi-square testing procedures. Bootstrapping applications for evaluating predictive regression coefficients in regularized regression model are performed. Conclusions: Feature reduction methods introduce inherent biases and therefore are data-type dependent. We propose that these limitations can be overcome using an exhaustive approach for searching feature space. Using this approach, we results suggest that IL-10, platelet and lymphocyte counts are the major features for predicting dengue DHF on the basis of blood chemistries and cytokine measurements.

Description: Background: Sjogren's syndrome is characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, together with polyclonal B-cell activation, and lung diseases are well-known complications of the disease. Therefore, in most cases associated with Sjogren's syndrome, infiltrating lymphocytes in the lung specimen exhibit the features of B-cells. We herein report an atypical case of lymphoproliferative pulmonary involvement in a patient with Sjogren's syndrome.Case presentationA 46-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of an abnormal chest roentgenogram finding on a medical checkup. Chest computed tomography showed randomly-distributed micronodules and patchy ground-glass opacities. A surgical biopsied specimen showed an atypical pattern of interstitial pneumonia with numerous lymphoid follicles. Among the infiltrating lymphocytes in the lung, only the monoclonality of the T-cells was proven by a gene rearrangement analysis, but there was no cytological atypicality or genetic disorder revealed by testing the bone marrow aspirate. A diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome was made based on the patient's other symptoms and these negative findings. The patient's pulmonary lesions have been successfully treated and remission has been maintained for over three years with corticosteroid treatment alone. Conclusion: The present patient was an atypical case of lymphoproliferative pulmonary involvement in a patient with Sjogren's syndrome. Although monoclonality of the infiltrating T-cells was proven, the clinical course and the findings of the imaging and laboratory examinations were inconsistent with the previously-reported cases of primary pulmonary T-cell lymphoma. This suggests that the monoclonality of lymphocytes does not always define malignancy. The diagnosis of malignant lymphoma or lymphoproliferative diseases should be made clinically, pathologically and cytogenetically to rule out other similar diseases.

Description: An experiment of hydrogen preparation from steam-carbon reaction catalyzed by K2CO3 was carried out at 700°C, which was driven by the solar reaction system simulated with Xenon lamp. It can be found that the rate of reaction with catalyst is 10 times more than that without catalyst. However, for the catalytic reaction, there is no obvious change for the rate of hydrogen generation with catalyst content range from 10% to 20%. Besides, the conversion efficiency of solar energy to chemical energy is more than 13.1% over that by photovoltaic-electrolysis route. An analysis to the mechanism of catalytic steam-carbon reaction with K2CO3 is given, and an explanation to the nonbalanced [H2]/[CO + 2CO2] is presented, which is a phenomenon usually observed in experiment.

Description: Concentrations of Cd, Co, Pb, and Zn in riverbed sediments from six sampling stations along the Sungai Kilim, Langkawi, Malaysia, were determined by using the Teflon Bomb Digestion. From this study, the concentrations of heavy metals in riverbed sediments were found ranging between 6.10 and 8.87 μg/g dry weight for Co, 0.03 and 0.45 μg/g dry weight for Cd, 59.8 and 74.9 μg/g dry weight for Zn, and 1.06 and 11.69 μg/g dry weight for Pb. From the observation, these areas were polluted by domestic waste, aquaculture, and tourism activities. For clarity, enrichment factor index was used to determine the level of sediment contamination in the study area. From this study, the average EF value is a bit high for Cd () followed by Zn (), Pb (), and lastly, Co (). Based on the contamination categories, Cd was categorised as moderately enriched, while the rest of the metals studied were in deficient-to-minimally enriched by the anthropogenic sources.

Description: A catalytic adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric method on an improved bismuth film electrode (BiFE) for the determination of trace germanium in the presence of pyrogallol has been investigated. A well-defined and sensitive stripping peak of Ge(IV)-pyrogallol complex was observed at −0.79 V (versus SCE) in a 0.1 M acetate buffer solution (pH 4.8) at a deposition potential of −0.34 V. The reduction current is catalytically enhanced by adding KBrO3. The experimental variables and potential interference were studied. Compared with the BiFE plated in the solution prepared based on HAc-NaAc without trisodium citrate, the improved BiFE electrodeposited in the solution of HAc-NaAc containing trisodium citrate displayed a better electroanalytical performance for the determination of germanium(IV). Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit of Ge(IV) was 60 ng L−1, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 3.73% at 5 μg L−1 level (). This method was successfully applied to determine the total germanium in several Chinese herbal remedies.

Description: Changes of antioxidant properties of -lipoic acid (LA) after UV irradiation were studied. LA is the typical drug used in diabetic neuropathy. Quenching of free radicals is an important factor of therapy by using this substance. -Lipoic acid is exposed to UV irradiation during the storage. The aim of our studies was to examine the effect of UV irradiation on the interactions of LA with free radicals. The -lipoic acid was irradiated by UVA 315–400 nm light during 10 to 110 minutes by intervals of 10 minutes. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was used as the experimental technique. The antioxidant properties of LA were spectroscopically confirmed. The strong effect of UV irradiation on interactions of -lipoic acid with free radicals was observed. It was pointed out that interactions of LA with free radicals decrease after its exposition on UV. The interactions of LA with free radicals were higher after the sample irradiation during 10 minutes than for the samples irradiated longer (20–110 minutes). The results are important for problems connected with photomedicine; they pointed out that -lipoic acid should not be stored on UV exposition. Application of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to characterize interactions of pharmacological substance with free radicals was confirmed.

Description: Copper antimony sulfide (CAS) is a relatively new class of sustainable absorber material, utilizing cost effective and abundant elements. Band gap engineered, modified CAS thin films were synthesized using electrodeposition and elevated temperature sulfurization approach. A testing analog of copper zinc antimony sulfide (CZAS) film-electrolyte interface was created in order to evaluate photoelectrochemical performance of the thin film of absorber materials. Eu3+/Eu2+ redox couple was selected for this purpose, based on its relative band offset with copper antimony sulfide. It was observed that zinc has a significant effect on CAS film properties. An enhanced photocurrent was observed for CAS film, modified with zinc addition. A detailed investigation has been carried out by changing stoichiometry, and corresponding surface and optical characterization results have been evaluated. A summary of favorable processing parameters of the films showing enhanced photoelectrochemical response is presented.

Description: Tidal influence and local morphology on circulation and salt transport are investigated in the Caeté river estuary, a well-mixed estuary along the north coast of Brazil. Velocity, temperature, and salinity data were collected in three different locations along the estuary’s main channel, over three single, 13 h tidal cycles. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tidal distortion and salinity by using classical methods of comparison of three cross-channel circulation characteristics, as well as computation of salt flux and vertical mixing. Findings indicate a flood-ebb asymmetry in currents, due to the distinct funneling morphology of the estuary, with shallow marginal areas being dominant towards the estuary head, while both stratification and shear dominate near the estuary mouth. The tidal currents enhanced vertical diffusion in the mid- and lower reaches, explaining the prevailing weakly stratified conditions, while the dominant well-mixed conditions in the upper estuary are a result of a combination of stronger flood currents and negligible vertical saline gradient. The predominant downstream salt transport supports the conclusion that there is little accumulation of salt in the Caeté river estuary. In addition, findings indicate that tidal correlation and Stokes drift are important components in the upper estuary, while tidal correlation played an important role in the middle estuary, with fluvial discharge most important in the lower estuary.

Description: The present paper investigates the reliability analysis of industrial systems by using vague lambda-tau methodology in which information related to system components is uncertain and imprecise in nature. The uncertainties in the data are handled with the help of intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) theory rather than fuzzy set theory. Various reliability parameters are addressed for strengthening the analysis in terms of degree of acceptance and rejection of IFS. Performance as well as sensitivity analysis of the system parameter has been investigated for accessing the impact of taking wrong combinations on its performance. Finally results are compared with the existing traditional crisp and fuzzy methodologies results. The technique has been demonstrated through a case study of bleaching unit of a paper mill.

Description: A new stability-indicating reversed-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (RP-HPTLC) method for densitometric analysis of thiocolchicoside was developed and validated. The chromatograms were developed using aluminum plates pre-coated with silica gel 60 RP-18 F254S as a stationary phase and methanol : water (70 : 30 ) as a mobile phase. The compact band for thiocolchicoside was observed at value of at an absorption wavelength of 377 nm. The linear regression data for the calibration plots () was found with respect to peak area in the concentration range of 100–600 ng per band. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 9.77 ng and 29.63 ng, respectively. The drug was exposed to acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, oxidation, photo degradation, and dry heat conditions. The peaks of degradation products were well-resolved from the peak of the standard drug with significantly different values. Statistical analysis proved that the established RP-HPTLC method is reproducible, selective, and accurate for the determination of thiocolchicoside in its formulations. The method can effectively separate the drug from its degradation products, and it can be considered as stability-indicating assay.

Description: In CdS/CdTe solar cells, chemical interdiffusion at the interface gives rise to the formation of an interlayer of the ternary compound . In this work, we evaluate the effects of this interlayer in CdS/CdTe photovoltaic cells in order to improve theoretical results describing experimental - (capacitance versus voltage) characteristics. We extended our previous theoretical methodology developed on the basis of three cardinal equations (Castillo-Alvarado et al., 2010). The present results provide a better fit to experimental data obtained from CdS/CdTe solar cells grown in our laboratory by the chemical bath deposition (for CdS film) and the close-spaced vapor transport (for CdTe film) techniques.

Description: A relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and surface nitrate concentrations has been obtained for the first time based on in situ datasets retrieved from U.S. JGOFS (1991–96) and Indian cruises (2000–2006) in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean region around the southern Indian tip. The dataset includes 1537 points. A sigmoid relationship obtained with

Description: The ice floe speed variations were monitored at the research camp North Pole 35 established on the Arctic ice pack in 2008. A three-month time series of measured speed values was used for determining changes in the kinetic energy of the drifting ice floe. The constructed energy distributions were analyzed by methods of nonextensive statistical mechanics based on the Tsallis statistics for open nonequilibrium systems, such as tectonic formations and drifting sea ice. The nonextensivity means the nonadditivity of externally induced energy changes in multicomponent systems due to dynamic interrelation of components having no structural links. The Tsallis formalism gives one an opportunity to assess the correlation between ice floe motions through a specific parameter, the so-called parameter of nonextensivity. This formalistic assessment of the actual state of drifting pack allows one to forecast some important trends in sea ice behavior, because the level of correlated dynamics determines conditions for extended mechanical perturbations in ice pack. In this work, we revealed temporal fluctuations of the parameter of nonextensivity and observed its maximum value before a large-scale sea ice fragmentation (faulting) of consolidated sea ice. The correlation was not detected in fragmented sea ice where long-range interactions are weakened.

Description: Symbiotic diatom-diazotrophic cyanobacteria association (DDA) of Rhizosolenia hebetata and Rhizosolenia formosa with endosymbiotic cyanobacteria Richelia intracellularis was noticed and documented for the first time during a bloom of the cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum in the oligotrophic shelf waters along Kochi and Mangalore transects, southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS), during spring intermonsoon (April 2012). Although the host is frequently seen, the symbiont is rarely reported in the Indian EEZ. The presence of nitrogen-fixing symbiotic association of Rhizosolenia-Richelia along with Trichodesmium erythraeum highlights the significance of DDAs on the nutrient and energy budgets of phytoplankton in the oligotrophic environments of the Arabian Sea during spring intermonsoon.

Description: Recent studies on the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium showed that increasing CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) enhances N2 fixation and growth. We studied the in situ and satellite-derived environmental parameters within and outside a Trichodesmium bloom in the western coastal Bay of Bengal (BoB) during the spring intermonsoon 2009. Here we show that the single most important nitrogen fixer in today’s ocean, Trichodesmium erythraeum, is strongly abundant in high (≥300 μatm) pCO2 concentrations. N : P ratios almost doubled (~10) at high pCO2 region. This could enhance the productivity of N-limited BoB and increase the biological carbon sequestration. We also report presence of an oxygen minimum zone at Thamnapatnam. Earlier studies have been carried out using lab cultures, showing the increase in growth rate of T. erythraeum under elevated pCO2 conditions, but to our knowledge, this study is the first to report that in natural environment also T. erythraeum prefers blooming in high pCO2 concentrations. The observed CO2 sensitivity of T. erythraeum could thereby provide a strong negative feedback to rising atmospheric CO2 but would also drive towards phosphorus limitation in a future high CO2 world.

Description: In a silicon wafer-based photovoltaic (PV) module, significant power is lost due to current transport through the ribbons interconnecting neighbour cells. Using halved cells in PV modules is an effective method to reduce the resistive power loss which has already been applied by some major PV manufacturers (Mitsubishi, BP Solar) in their commercial available PV modules. As a consequence, quantitative analysis of PV modules using halved cells is needed. In this paper we investigate theoretically and experimentally the difference between modules made with halved and full-size solar cells. Theoretically, we find an improvement in fill factor of 1.8% absolute and output power of 90 mW for the halved cell minimodule. Experimentally, we find an improvement in fill factor of 1.3% absolute and output power of 60 mW for the halved cell module. Also, we investigate theoretically how this effect confers to the case of large-size modules. It is found that the performance increment of halved cell PV modules is even higher for high-efficiency solar cells. After that, the resistive loss of large-size modules with different interconnection schemes is analysed. Finally, factors influencing the performance and cost of industrial halved cell PV modules are discussed.

Description: In three-phase photovoltaic (PV) system, three-phase filter inductors are important part for the output electrical power quality. The comparison analyses of three-phase discrete filter inductors and two kinds of three-phase integrated filter inductors in three-phase PV inverter are proposed. Firstly, the three-phase PV inverter operation with discrete filter inductors is analyzed, and the design of discrete filter inductors is given; then operation of the three-phase PV inverter with three-phase integrated five-limb magnetic core filter inductors is analyzed, the design of integrated filter inductors with five-limb magnetic core is given, then the operation of three-phase PV inverter with three-phase integrated three-limb magnetic core filter inductors is analyzed, and the design of integrated filter inductors with three limbs magnetic core is given. The conclusion of comparison between three-phase discrete filter inductors and two kinds of three-phase integrated filter inductors is done; it means that the three-phase discrete filter inductors can achieve better output electrical power quality with lower power density and three-phase integrated filter inductors can achieve higher power density with lower output electrical power quality. Finally, the experiment results are given to compare the volume and filter effect of three kinds of filter inductors in three-phase PV inverter.

Description: A classical issue in many applied fields is to obtain an approximating surface to a given set of data points. This problem arises in Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), virtual reality, medical imaging, computer graphics, computer animation, and many others. Very often, the preferred approximating surface is polynomial, usually described in parametric form. This leads to the problem of determining suitable parametric values for the data points, the so-called surface parameterization. In real-world settings, data points are generally irregularly sampled and subjected to measurement noise, leading to a very difficult nonlinear continuous optimization problem, unsolvable with standard optimization techniques. This paper solves the parameterization problem for polynomial Bézier surfaces by applying the firefly algorithm, a powerful nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm introduced recently to address difficult optimization problems. The method has been successfully applied to some illustrative examples of open and closed surfaces, including shapes with singularities. Our results show that the method performs very well, being able to yield the best approximating surface with a high degree of accuracy.

Description: This paper proposes a partial refactorization for faster nonlinear analysis based on sparse matrix solution, which is nowadays the default solution choice in finite element analysis and can solve finite element models up to millions degrees of freedom. Among various fill-in’s reducing strategies for sparse matrix solution, the graph partition is in general the best in terms of resultant fill-ins and floating-point operations and furthermore produces a particular graph of sparse matrix that prevents local change of entries from wide spreading in factorization. Based on this feature, an explicit partial triangular refactorization with local change is efficiently constructed with limited additional storage requirement in row-sparse storage scheme. The partial refactorization of the changed stiffness matrix inherits a big percentage of the original factor and is carried out only on partial factor entries. The proposed method provides a new possibility for faster nonlinear analysis and is mainly suitable for material nonlinear problems and optimization problems. Compared to full factorization, it can significantly reduce the factorization time and can make nonlinear analysis more efficient.

Description: Prediction of RNA structure is a useful process for creating new drugs and understanding genetic diseases. In this paper, we proposed a particle swarm optimization (PSO) and ant colony optimization (ACO) based framework (PAF) for RNA secondary structure prediction. PAF consists of crucial stem searching (CSS) and global sequence building (GSB). In CSS, a modified ACO (MACO) is used to search the crucial stems, and then a set of stems are generated. In GSB, we used a modified PSO (MPSO) to construct all the stems in one sequence. We evaluated the performance of PAF on ten sequences, which have length from 122 to 1494. We also compared the performance of PAF with the results obtained from six existing well-known methods, SARNA-Predict, RnaPredict, ACRNA, PSOfold, IPSO, and mfold. The comparison results show that PAF could not only predict structures with higher accuracy rate but also find crucial stems.

Description: The problem of robust fault tolerant control for continuous-time fractional-order (FO) systems with interval parameters and sensor faults of has been investigated. By establishing sensor fault model and state observer, an observer-based FO output feedback controller is developed such that the closed-loop FO system is asymptotically stable, not only when all sensor components are working well, but also in the presence of sensor components failures. Finally, numerical simulation examples are given to illustrate the application of the proposed design method.

Description: The rural/remote IMPROVE network (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) and the Environmental Protection Agency's urban Chemical Speciation Network have measured PM2.5 organic (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) since 1989 and 2000, respectively. We aggregated OC and EC data from 2007 to 2010 at over 300 sites from both networks in order to characterize the spatial and seasonal patterns in rural and urban carbonaceous aerosols. The spatial extent of OC and EC was more regional in the eastern United States relative to more localized concentrations in the West. The highest urban impacts of OC and EC relative to background concentrations occurred in the West during fall and winter. Urban and rural carbonaceous aerosols experienced a large (although opposite) range in seasonality in the West compared to a much lower seasonal variability in the East. Long-term (1990–2010) trend analyses indicated a widespread decrease in rural TC (TC = OC + EC) across the country, with positive, though insignificant, trends in the summer and fall in the West. Short-term trends indicated that urban and rural TC concentrations have both decreased since 2000, with the strongest and more spatially homogeneous urban and rural trends in the West relative to the East.

Description: The Doppler velocity dealiasing technique based on alias-robust VAD and variational (AR-Var) analyses developed at the National Severe Storms Laboratory for radar data quality control and assimilation is further improved in its two-step procedures: the reference check in the first step and the continuity check in the second step. In the first step, the alias-robust variational analysis is modified adaptively and used in place of the alias-robust velocity-azimuth display (VAD) analysis for all scan modes (rather than solely the WSR-88D volume coverage pattern 31 with the Nyquist velocity reduced below 12 m s−1 and the TDWR Mod80 with reduced below 15 m s−1), so more raw data can pass the stringent threshold conditions used by the reference check in the first step. This improves the dealiased data coverage without false dealiasing to better satisfy the high data quality standard required by radar data assimilation. In the second step, new procedures are designed and added to the continuity check to increase the dealiased data coverage over storm-scale areas threatened by intense mesocyclones and their generated tornados. The performances of the improved dealiasing technique versus the existing techniques are exemplified by the results obtained for tornadic storms scanned by the operational KTLX radar in Oklahoma.

Description: Background: In cross breeding, it is important to choose a good parental combination that has high probability of generating offspring with desired characteristics. This study examines a method for predicting the segregation of target traits in a progeny population based on genome-wide markers and phenotype data of parental cultivars. Results: The proposed method combines segregation simulation and Bayesian modeling for genomic selection. Marker segregation in a progeny population was simulated based on parental genotypes. Posterior marker effects sampled via Markov Chain Monte Carlo were used to predict the segregation pattern of target traits. The posterior distribution of the proportion of progenies that fulfill selection criteria was calculated and used for determining a promising cross and the necessary size of the progeny population. We applied the proposed method to Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) data to demonstrate the method and to show how it works in the selection of a promising cross. Verification using an actual breeding population suggests that the segregation of target traits can be predicted with reasonable accuracy, especially in a highly heritable trait. The uncertainty in predictions was reflected on the posterior distribution of the proportion of progenies that fulfill selection criteria. A simulation study based on the real marker data of Japanese pear cultivars also suggests the potential of the method. Conclusions: The proposed method is useful to provide objective and quantitative criteria for choosing a parental combination and the breeding population size.

Description: Background: Gene reshuffling, point mutations and horizontal gene transfer contribute to bacterial genome variation, but require the genome to rewire its transcriptional circuitry to ensure that inserted, mutated or reshuffled genes are transcribed at appropriate levels. The genomes of Epsilonproteobacteria display very low synteny, due to high levels of reshuffling and reorganisation of gene order, but still share a significant number of gene orthologs allowing comparison. Here we present the primary transcriptome of the pathogenic Epsilonproteobacterium Campylobacter jejuni, and have used this for comparative and predictive transcriptomics in the Epsilonproteobacteria. Results: Differential RNA-sequencing using 454 sequencing technology was used to determine the primary transcriptome of C. jejuni NCTC 11168, which consists of 992 transcription start sites (TSS), which included 29 putative non-coding and stable RNAs, 266 intragenic (internal) TSS, and 206 antisense TSS. Several previously unknown features were identified in the C. jejuni transcriptional landscape, like leaderless mRNAs and potential leader peptides upstream of amino acid biosynthesis genes. A cross-species comparison of the primary transcriptomes of C. jejuni and the related Epsilonproteobacterium Helicobacter pylori highlighted a lack of conservation of operon organisation, position of intragenic and antisense promoters or leaderless mRNAs. Predictive comparisons using 40 other Epsilonproteobacterial genomes suggests that this lack of conservation of transcriptional features is common to all Epsilonproteobacterial genomes, and is associated with the absence of genome synteny in this subdivision of the Proteobacteria. Conclusions: Both the genomes and transcriptomes of Epsilonproteobacteria are highly variable, both at the genome level by combining and division of multicistronic operons, but also on the gene level by generation or deletion of promoter sequences and 5[prime] untranslated regions. Regulatory features may have evolved after these species split from a common ancestor, with transcriptome rewiring compensating for changes introduced by genomic reshuffling and horizontal gene transfer.

Description: It is widely accepted that tumorigenesis is a multistep process characterized by the sequential accumulation of genetic alterations. However, the molecular basis of genomic instability in cancer is still partially understood. The observation that hereditary cancers are often characterized by mutations in DNA repair and checkpoint genes suggests that accumulation of DNA damage is a major contributor to the oncogenic transformation. It is therefore of great interest to identify all the cellular pathways that contribute to the response to DNA damage. Recently, RNA processing has emerged as a novel pathway that may contribute to the maintenance of genome stability. In this review, we illustrate several different mechanisms through which pre-mRNA splicing and genomic stability can influence each other. We specifically focus on the role of splicing factors in the DNA damage response and describe how, in turn, activation of the DDR can influence the activity of splicing factors.

Description: The components and claddings of low-rise buildings are usually destroyed first during typhoon disasters in coastal areas. Roof accessory structures can change the flow pattern on the roof, thus effectively reducing the wind load on the roof surface and the damage to the low-rise buildings. Three types of aerodynamic mitigation plates, that is, (1) 0.3 m high full-length roof-edge plate, (2) 0.3 m high and 0.5 m + 0.5 m long roof-corner plate, and (3) discrete roof-edge plates with different spaces (which can be used as advertisement boards), are studied on the basis of the field measurement results under roof pitches of 10° and 18.4°. By comparing the results of the roof with and without constructed plates, it is implied that the three types of plates can affect the formation of conical vortexes and can significantly reduce the mean and fluctuating pressure coefficients in the windward corner. Compared with the constructed plate, the roof ridge has a larger influence on the wind loads on leeward roof.

Description: Composite silicon dioxide-titanium dioxide (SiO2-TiO2) films are deposited on a large area of 15.6 × 15.6 cm2 textured multicrystalline silicon solar cells to increase the incident light trapped within the device. For further improvement of the antireflective coatings (ARCs) quality, dimethylformamide (DMF) solution is added to the original SiO2-TiO2 solutions. DMF solution solves the cracking problem, thus effectively decreasing reflectance as well as surface recombination. The ARCs prepared by sol-gel process and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) on multicrystalline silicon substrate are compared. The average efficiency of the devices with improved sol-gel ARCs is 16.3%, only 0.5% lower than that of devices with PECVD ARCs (16.8%). However, from equipment depreciation point of view (the expiration date of equipment is generally considered as 5 years), the running cost (USD/watt) of sol-gel technique is 80% lower than that of PECVD method for the first five years and 66% lower than that of PECVD method from the start of the sixth year. This result proves that sol-gel-deposited ARCs process has potential applications in manufacturing low-cost, large-area solar cells.

Description: We study the lattice dynamical system of a nonlinear Boussinesq equation. We first verify the Lipschitz continuity of the continuous semigroup associated with the system. Then, we provide an estimation of the tail of the difference between two solutions of the system. Finally, we obtain the existence of an exponential attractor of the system.

Description: A novel scheme for fault-tolerant control is proposed in this paper, in which model reference adaptive control method is incorporated with control allocation to cope with simultaneous actuator failures, input saturation, and model mismatch in the flight system. In order to reduce performance degradation caused by actuator failures, the proposed scheme redistributes the control signal to healthy actuators and updates the weighting matrix based on actuator effectiveness. Because of saturation errors resulting from actuator constraints and model mismatch caused by abnormal changes in the system, the original reference model may not be appropriate. Under this circumstance, an adaptive reference model which can also provide satisfactory performance is designed. Simulations of a flight control example are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Description: A virtual channels scheduling algorithm with broad applicability based on movable boundary is proposed. According to the types of date sources, transmission time slots are divided into synchronous ones and asynchronous ones with a movable boundary between them. During the synchronous time slots, the virtual channels are scheduled with a polling algorithm; during the asynchronous time slots, the virtual channels are scheduled with an algorithm based on virtual channel urgency and frame urgency. If there are no valid frames in the corresponding VC at a certain synchronous time slot, a frame of the other synchronous VCs or asynchronous VCs will be transmitted through the physical channel. Only when there are no valid frames in all VCs would an idle frame be generated and transmitted. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm yields much lower scheduling delay and higher channel utilization ratio than those based on unmovable boundary or virtual channel urgency in many kinds of sources. Therefore, broad applicability can be achieved by the proposed algorithm.

Description: Self-localization is a basic skill for mobile robots in the dynamic environments. It is usually modeled as a state estimation problem for nonlinear system with non-Gaussian noise and needs the real-time processing. Unscented particle filter (UPF) can handle the state estimation problem for nonlinear system with non-Gaussian noise; however the computation of UPF is very high. In order to reduce the computation cost of UPF and meanwhile maintain the accuracy, we propose an adaptive unscented particle filter (AUPF) algorithm through relative entropy. AUPF can adaptively adjust the number of particles during filtering to reduce the necessary computation and hence improve the real-time capability of UPF. In AUPF, the relative entropy is used to measure the distance between the empirical distribution and the true posterior distribution. The least number of particles for the next step is then decided according to the relative entropy. In order to offset the difference between the proposal distribution, and the true distribution the least number is adjusted thereafter. The ideal performance of AUPF in real robot self-localization is demonstrated.

Description: Background: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is defined as an allergic lung disease that occurs in response to inhalation of fungal antigens, bacterial antigens, chemicals, dusts, or animal proteins. The incidence of summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis is higher in the summer season, especially in Japan, due to the influence of the hot and humid environment and the common style of wood house or old concrete condominiums.Case presentationThe present report describes a case of a middle-aged married couple who lived in the same house and who simultaneously suffered from summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis. This report analyzes these two cases in terms of environmental research and its microbiological, radiological, and pathological aspects. This case report is followed by a review of family occurrences of summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis from 22 studies with a total of 49 patients (including the two present cases) in Japan. Conclusion: Summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis may be unrecognized and misdiagnosed as pneumonia or other respiratory diseases. A greater understanding of the clinical, pathologic, and environmental features of summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis might help improve diagnosis and delivery of appropriate management for this condition.

Description: Background: Cell migration is a fundamental biological process and has an important role in the developing brain by regulating a highly specific pattern of connections between nerve cells. Cell migration is required for axonal guidance and neurite outgrowth and involves a series of highly co-ordinated and overlapping signalling pathways. The non-receptor tyrosine kinase, Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) has an essential role in development and is the most highly expressed kinase in the developing CNS. FAK activity is essential for neuronal cell adhesion and migration. Results: The objective of this study was to optimise a protocol for the differentiation of the neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y. We determined the optimal extracellular matrix proteins and growth factor combinations required for the optimal differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells into neuronal-like cells and determined those conditions that induce the expression of FAK. It was confirmed that the cells were morphologically and biochemically differentiated when compared to undifferentiated cells. This is in direct contrast to commonly used differentiation methods that induce morphological differentiation but not biochemical differentiation. Conclusions: We conclude that we have optimised a protocol for the differentiation of SH-SY5Y cells that results in a cell population that is both morphologically and biochemically distinct from undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells and has a distinct adhesion and spreading pattern and display extensive neurite outgrowth. This protocol will provide a neuronal model system for studying FAK activity during cell adhesion and migration events.

Description: Background: Life history tradeoffs may result from temporal and physiological constraints intrinsic to an organism. When faced with limited time and energy, compromises occur and these resources are allocated among essential activities, such as body growth, maintenance, foraging, mating, and offspring care. We investigated potential tradeoffs that may occur between reproductive activities and feeding performance in female Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus) by comparing the time taken to capture prey between non-reproductive and reproductive females (gravid females and females exhibiting maternal care, i.e. carrying offspring on their backs). Results: Gravid females were as efficient at catching prey as non-gravid females. To control for variation in the duration of the maternal care period, we removed all offspring from all post-parturient females after 5 days. Brooding females and females 24 hours following offspring removal (FOR) did not successfully capture prey within the 900-second trial period. Twenty-eight days FOR, females caught prey faster than females displaying maternal care and females 24 hours FOR, but were not as efficient at catching prey as non-gravid and gravid females. When pursuing prey, C. sculpturatus exhibiting maternal care used an active foraging strategy more frequently than non-gravid, gravid, and females 28 days FOR. In contrast, non-gravid, gravid, and females 28 days FOR used active and ambush foraging with similar frequency. Conclusions: Our data suggest that reproduction does not significantly reduce the predatory efficiency of gravid C. sculpturatus, and that these females can cope with increasing body mass and the physiological costs of gestation. However, the observation that brooding females and females 24 hours FOR did not catch prey within the trial period indicates that maternal care significantly reduces predatory efficiency in these scorpions. Females 28 days FOR were still not as efficient at catching prey as non-gravid and gravid females, suggesting that reproductive costs extend for at least 4 weeks after the end of the maternal care period. Preferential use of an active foraging strategy by brooding females may increase prey encounter rates, allowing the scorpions to more rapidly replenish energy reserves depleted during reproduction. However, active foraging may be energetically costly and increase predation risk for brooding females. Our findings regarding antagonistic interactions between reproduction and feeding in female C. sculpturatus demonstrate the pervasive nature of reproductive costs for viviparous females, and may provide insight on factors that influence the diversity of reproductive strategies observed in nature.

Description: Background: External development and optical transparency of embryos make zebrafish exceptionally suitable for in vivo insertional mutagenesis using fluorescent proteins to visualize expression patterns of mutated genes. Recently developed Gene Breaking Transposon (GBT) vectors greatly improve the fidelity and mutagenicity of transposon-based gene trap vectors. Results: We constructed and tested a bipartite GBT vector with Gal4-VP16 as the primary gene trap reporter. Our vector also contains a UAS:eGFP cassette for direct detection of gene trap events by fluorescence. To confirm gene trap events, we generated a UAS:mRFP tester line. We screened 270 potential founders and established 41 gene trap lines. Three of our gene trap alleles display homozygous lethal phenotypes ranging from embryonic to late larval: nsftpl6, atp1a3atpl10 and flrtpl19. Our gene trap cassette is flanked by direct loxP sites, which enabled us to successfully revert nsftpl6, atp1a3atpl10 and flrtpl19 gene trap alleles by injection of Cre mRNA. The UAS:eGFP cassette is flanked by direct FRT sites. It can be readily removed by injection of Flp mRNA for use of our gene trap alleles with other tissue-specific GFP-marked lines. The Gal4-VP16 component of our vector provides two important advantages over other GBT vectors. The first is increased sensitivity, which enabled us to detect previously unnoticed expression of nsf in the pancreas. The second advantage is that all our gene trap lines, including integrations into non-essential genes, can be used as highly specific Gal4 drivers for expression of other transgenes under the control of Gal4 UAS. Conclusions: The Gal4-containing bipartite Gene Breaking Transposon vector presented here retains high specificity for integrations into genes, high mutagenicity and revertibility by Cre. These features, together with utility as highly specific Gal4 drivers, make gene trap mutants presented here especially useful to the research community.

Description: Background: Little is known about the Phasmatodea gut microbial community, including whether phasmids have symbiotic bacteria aiding in their digestion. While symbionts are near ubiquitous in herbivorous insects, the Phasmatodea’s distinctively thin body shape precludes the gut enlargements needed for microbial fermentation. High-throughput sequencing was used to characterize the entire microbiota of the fat bodies, salivary glands, and anterior and posterior midguts of two species of walking stick. Results: Most bacterial sequences belonged to a strain of Spiroplasma (Tenericutes) found primarily in the posterior midgut of the parthenogenetic species Ramulus artemis (Phasmatidae). Beyond this, no significant differences were found between the R. artemis midgut sections or between that species and Peruphasma schultei (Pseudophasmatidae). Histological analysis further indicated a lack of bacteriocytes. Conclusions: Phasmids are unlikely to depend on bacteria for digestion, suggesting they produce enzymes endogenously that most other herbivorous insects obtain from symbionts. This conclusion matches predictions based on phasmid anatomy. The role of Spiroplasma in insects warrants further study.

Description: Background: Very little is known about manganese (Mn)-toxicity-responsive genes in citrus plants. Seedlings of 'Xuegan' (Citrus sinensis) and 'Sour pummelo' (Citrus grandis) were irrigated for 17 weeks with nutrient solution containing 2 muM (control) or 600 muM (Mn-toxicity) MnSO4. The objectives of this study were to understand the mechanisms of citrus Mn-tolerance and to identify differentially expressed genes, which might be involved in Mn-tolerance. Results: Under Mn-toxicity, the majority of Mn in seedlings was retained in the roots; C. sinensis seedlings accumulated more Mn in roots and less Mn in shoots (leaves) than C. grandis ones and Mn concentration was lower in Mn-toxicity C. sinensis leaves compared to Mn-toxicity C. grandis ones. Mn-toxicity affected C. grandis seedling growth, leaf CO2 assimilation, total soluble concentration, phosphorus (P) and magenisum (Mg) more than C. sinensis. Using cDNA-AFLP, we isolated 42 up-regulated and 80 down-regulated genes in Mn-toxicity C. grandis leaves. They were grouped into the following functional categories: biological regulation and signal transduction, carbohydrate and energy metabolism, nucleic acid metabolism, protein metabolism, lipid metabolism, cell wall metabolism, stress responses and cell transport. However, only 7 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated genes were identified in Mn-toxicity C. sinensis ones. The responses of C. grandis leaves to Mn-toxicity might include following several aspects: (1) accelerating leaf senescence; (2) activating the metabolic pathway related to ATPase synthesis and reducing power production; (3) decreasing cell transport; (4) inhibiting protein and nucleic acid metabolisms; (5) impairing the formation of cell wall; and (6) triggering multiple signal transduction pathways. We also identified many new Mn-toxicity-responsive genes involved in biological and signal transduction, carbohydrate and protein metabolisms, stress responses and cell transport. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that C. sinensis was more tolerant to Mn-toxicity than C. grandis, and that Mn-toxicity affected gene expression far less in C. sinensis leaves. This might be associated with more Mn accumulation in roots and less Mn accumulation in leaves of Mn-toxicity C. sinensis seedlings than those of C. grandis seedlings. Our findings increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the responses of plants to Mn-toxicity.

Description: Background: Two-partner secretion systems in Gram-negative bacteria consist of an outer membrane protein TpsB that mediates the secretion of a cognate TpsA protein into the extracellular milieu. TpsA proteins have diverse, often virulence-related functions, and some of them inhibit the growth of related bacteria. In Neisseria meningitidis, several functions have been attributed to the TpsA proteins. Downstream of the tpsB and tpsA genes, several shorter tpsA-related gene cassettes, called tpsC, are located interspersed with intervening open-reading frames (IORFs). It has been suggested that the tpsC cassettes may recombine with the tpsA gene as a mechanism of antigenic variation. Here, we investigated (i) whether TpsA of N. meningitidis also has growth-inhibitory properties, (ii) whether tpsC cassettes recombine with the tpsA gene, and (iii) what the consequences of such recombination events might be. Results: We demonstrate that meningococcal TpsA has growth-inhibitory properties and that the IORF located immediately downstream of tpsA confers immunity to the producing strain. Although bioinformatics analysis suggests that recombination between tpsC cassettes and tpsA occurs, detailed analysis of the tpsA gene in a large collection of disease isolates of three clonal complexes revealed that the frequency is very low and cannot be a mechanism of antigenic variation. However, recombination affected growth inhibition. In vitro experiments revealed that recombination can be mediated through acquirement of tpsC cassettes from the environment and it identified the regions involved in the recombination. Conclusions: Meningococcal TpsA has growth-inhibitory properties. Recombination between tpsA and tpsC cassettes occurs in vivo but is rare and has consequences for growth inhibition. A recombination model is proposed and we propose that the main goal of recombination is the collection of new IORFs for protection against a variety of TpsA proteins.

Description: Background: Sequencing of the genome of Propionibacterium acnes produced a catalogue of genes many of which enable this organism to colonise skin and survive exposure to the elements. Despite this platform, there was little understanding of the gene regulation that gives rise to an organism that has a major impact on human health and wellbeing and causes infections beyond the skin. To address this situation, we have undertaken a genome--wide study of gene regulation using a combination of improved differential and global RNA-sequencing and an analytical approach that takes into account the inherent noise within the data. Results: We have produced nucleotide-resolution transcriptome maps that identify and differentiate sites of transcription initiation from sites of stable RNA processing and mRNA cleavage. Moreover, analysis of these maps provides strong evidence for 'pervasive' transcription and shows that contrary to initial indications it is not biased towards the production of antisense RNAs. In addition, the maps reveal an extensive array of riboswitches, leaderless mRNAs and small non-protein-coding RNAs alongside vegetative promoters and post-transcriptional events, which includes unusual tRNA processing. The identification of such features will inform models of complex gene regulation, as illustrated here for ribonucleotide reductases and a potential quorum-sensing, two-component system. Conclusions: The approach described here, which is transferable to any bacterial species, has produced a step increase in whole-cell knowledge of gene regulation in P. acnes. Continued expansion of our maps to include transcription associated with different growth conditions and genetic backgrounds will provide a new platform from which to computationally model the gene expression that determines the physiology of P. acnes and its role in human disease.

Description: With the water and soil conservation forests of Robinia pseudoacacia in the Malian beach of Hongqi farm, Ji County, Shanxi province, as the research object, this study estimated the potential evapotranspiration in the open space outside the forest and at the heights of 3 m, 6 m, and 10 m in the forests with the climate data during 2011-2012 and the upgraded Penman-Monteith formula; then, this study explored the microclimate characteristics inside and outside the Robinia pseudoacacia forest and thereafter revealed the vertical variation rules of potential evapotranspiration of Robinia pseudoacacia. The results indicate that the air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and potential evapotranspiration at different heights above the ground surface showed similar changing trends, but with some variation during different periods. In addition, the weather also had impacts on the potential evapotranspiration. In April, July, and October, the change of potential evapotranspiration of the Robinia pseudoacacia forests showed a bimodal curve in the sunny days and rainy days, while it showed a single-peak curve with quite small fluctuation in the rainy days. However, it showed a single-peak pattern even in the sunny days in January, and it showed no fluctuation in the snowy days in January.

Description: Background: Nutritional guidance and diet control play important roles in the treatment of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver. However, in Japan, nutritional guidance is difficult to provide in practice. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of providing the 'once-a-day' intervention of a healthy lunch on various metabolic parameters. Methods: For a 1-month preparatory period, 10 subjects generally consumed the lunches that were provided by the worksite cafeteria. This was followed by a 1-week washout period, after which, the subjects consumed healthy, low-calorie, well-balanced lunches for a 1-month test period. After the preparatory and test periods, blood samples were obtained from all subjects. The serum levels of indices relevant to metabolic syndrome and fatty liver were measured. Results: Serum alanine aminotransferase activity significantly decreased by 20.3% after the healthy intervention. However, the indices of metabolic syndrome did not significantly change. Analysis of the relationship between serum alanine aminotransferase activity and nutrient content indicated that the improvement of serum alanine aminotransferase status was due to the higher vegetable content and lower animal-source protein of the meals provided. Conclusions: In summary, the 'once-a-day' intervention of providing a healthy lunch improved serum alanine aminotransferase status. A diet high in vegetables and low in animal-based protein is important in maintaining a healthy condition.

Description: Background: HIV diagnosis, prognostic and treatment requires T CD4 lymphocytes' number from flow cytometry, an expensive technique often not available to people in developing countries. The aim of this work is to apply a previous developed methodology that predicts T CD4 lymphocytes' value based on total white blood cell (WBC) count and lymphocytes count applying sets theory, from information taken from the Complete Blood Count (CBC). Methods: Sets theory was used to classify into groups named A, B, C and D the number of leucocytes/mm3, lymphocytes/mm3, and CD4/muL3 subpopulation per flow cytometry of 800 HIV diagnosed patients. Union between sets A and C, and B and D were assessed, and intersection between both unions was described in order to establish the belonging percentage to these sets. Results were classified into eight ranges taken by 1000 leucocytes/mm3, calculating the belonging percentage of each range with respect to the whole sample. Results: Intersection (A [union] C) [intersection] (B [union] D) showed an effectiveness in the prediction of 81.44% for the range between 4000 and 4999 leukocytes, 91.89% for the range between 3000 and 3999, and 100% for the range below 3000. Conclusions: Usefulness and clinical applicability of a methodology based on sets theory were confirmed to predict the T CD4 lymphocytes' value, beginning with WBC and lymphocytes' count from CBC. This methodology is new, objective, and has lower costs than the flow cytometry which is currently considered as Gold Standard.

Description: Cooperative communications that take advantage of the broadcasting nature of wireless environments can help to increase system throughput in wireless ad hoc networks. However, the promised throughput might be lost in presence of the error transmission and the interference caused by relay transmission in cooperative communication. In this paper, we introduced the relay selection schemes that can control the interference at the relay to prevent the relay that may harm other pairs. Then, we proposed the throughput-optimal scheduling that takes into account error probability in decision and maximizes throughput, that is, the amount of packets transmitted without error in network. In addition, we derive a simple and lightweight framework to implement the proposed policy in distributed manner. The simulation results show that the proposed scheduling policy outperforms the noncooperative policy and multihop relay policy.

Description: This paper is the second in a series of papers considering symmetry properties of bosonic quantum systems over 2D graphs, with continuous spins, in the spirit of the Mermin-Wagner theorem. In the model considered here the phase space of a single spin is where is a -dimensional unit torus with a flat metric. The phase space of spins is , the subspace of formed by functions symmetric under the permutations of the arguments. The Fock space yields the phase space of a system of a varying (but finite) number of particles. We associate a space with each vertex of a graph satisfying a special bidimensionality property. (Physically, vertex represents a heavy “atom” or “ion” that does not move but attracts a number of “light” particles.) The kinetic energy part of the Hamiltonian includes (i) , the minus a half of the Laplace operator on , responsible for the motion of a particle while “trapped” by a given atom, and (ii) an integral term describing possible “jumps” where a particle may join another atom. The potential part is an operator of multiplication by a function (the potential energy of a classical configuration) which is a sum of (a) one-body potentials , , describing a field generated by a heavy atom, (b) two-body potentials , , showing the interaction between pairs of particles belonging to the same atom, and (c) two-body potentials , , scaled along the graph distance between vertices , which gives the interaction between particles belonging to different atoms. The system under consideration can be considered as a generalized (bosonic) Hubbard model. We assume that a connected Lie group acts on , represented by a Euclidean space or torus of dimension , preserving the metric and the volume in . Furthermore, we suppose that the potentials , , and are -invariant. The result of the paper is that any (appropriately defined) Gibbs states generated by the above Hamiltonian is -invariant, provided that the thermodynamic variables (the fugacity and the inverse temperature ) satisfy a certain restriction. The definition of a Gibbs state (and its analysis) is based on the Feynman-Kac representation for the density matrices.

Description: One-dimensional second-order hyperbolic telegraph equation was formulated using Ohm’s law and solved by a recent and reliable semianalytic method, namely, the reduced differential transform method (RDTM). Using this method, it is possible to find the exact solution or a closed approximate solution of a differential equation. Three numerical examples have been carried out in order to check the effectiveness, the accuracy, and convergence of the method. The RDTM is a powerful mathematical technique for solving wide range of problems arising in science and engineering fields.

Description: We prove a common fixed point theorem for two pairs of compatible and subsequentially continuous (alternately subcompatible and reciprocally continuous) mappings satisfying a general contractive condition in a metric space. Some illustrative examples are furnished to highlight the realized improvements. Our result improves the main result of Sedghi and Shobe (2007).

Description: In this paper, the biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy of marine Paleogene deposits from the Kopet-Dagh basin (NE of Iran) are described. Particularly the absence of Morozovella genus is discussed. In addition, the Paleocene/Eocene boundary has been studied in detail using the record of planktonic and larger benthic foraminifera. This boundary is located probably within a thin red horizon (~10–15 cm) representing a paleosoil. Close to this boundary is located the base of the calcareous test dissolution interval, with the dominance of agglutinated benthic foraminifera and with a sudden decrease in the richness of benthic foraminiferal species. Biostratigraphic studies led to the identification of 33 genera of larger benthic foraminifera and 5 genera of planktonic foraminifera. Petrographical studies indicate that these sediments, consisting of four carbonate lithofacies (15 subfacies), may have been deposited on a shallow carbonate platform (ramp type). These lithofacies have been deposited in open marine, shoal, lagoon, and tidal flat environmental conditions. Sequence stratigraphic analysis led to the identification of four third-order depositional sequences. The interpreted sea-level curve in the Kopet-Dagh basin can be correlated with Paleocene-Eocene global curves, with a sea-level fall in the latest Paleocene, followed by a sea-level rise in the earliest Eocene.

Description: In an effort to investigate a possible relation between geometry and information, we establish a relation of the Ricci scalar in the Robertson-Walker metric of the cosmological Friedmann model to the number of information and entropy . This is with the help of a previously derived result that relates the Hubble parameter to the number of information . We find that the Ricci scalar has a dependence which is inversely proportional to the number of information and entropy . Similarly, a nonzero number of information would imply a finite Ricci scalar, and therefore space time will unfold. Finally, using the maximum number of information existing in the universe, we obtain a numerical value for the Ricci scalar to be .

Description: Background: Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with a five-year survival of less than 5%. A better understanding of the underlying biology may suggest novel therapeutic targets. Recent surveys of the pancreatic cancer genome have uncovered numerous new alterations; yet systematic functional characterization of candidate cancer genes has lagged behind. To address this challenge, here we have devised a highly-parallel RNA interference-based functional screen to evaluate many genomically-nominated candidate pancreatic cancer genes simultaneously. Results: For 185 candidate pancreatic cancer genes, selected from recurrently altered genomic loci, we performed a pooled shRNA library screen of cell growth/viability across 10 different cell lines. Knockdown-associated effects on cell growth were assessed by enrichment or depletion of shRNA hairpins, by hybridization to barcode microarrays. A novel analytical approach (COrrelated Phenotypes for On-Target Effects; COPOTE) was used to discern probable on-target knockdown, based on identifying different shRNAs targeting the same gene and displaying concordant phenotypes across cell lines. Knockdown data were integrated with genomic architecture and gene-expression profiles, and selected findings validated using individual shRNAs and/or independent siRNAs. The pooled shRNA library design delivered reproducible data. In all, COPOTE analysis identified 52 probable on-target gene-knockdowns. Knockdown of known oncogenes (KRAS, MYC, SMURF1 and CCNE1) and a tumor suppressor (CDKN2A) showed the expected contrasting effects on cell growth. In addition, the screen corroborated purported roles of PLEKHG2 and MED29 as 19q13 amplicon drivers. Most notably, the analysis also revealed novel possible oncogenic functions of nucleoporin NUP153 (ostensibly by modulating TGFbeta signaling) and Kruppel-like transcription factor KLF5 in pancreatic cancer. Conclusions: By integrating physical and functional genomic data, we were able to simultaneously evaluate many candidate pancreatic cancer genes. Our findings uncover new facets of pancreatic cancer biology, with possible therapeutic implications. More broadly, our study provides a general strategy for the efficient characterization of candidate genes emerging from cancer genome studies.

Description: Molecular interactions are often represented as network models which have become the common language of many areas of biology. Graphs serve as convenient mathematical representations of network models and have themselves become objects of study. Their topology has been intensively researched over the last decade after evidence was found that they share underlying design principles with many other types of networks.Initial studies suggested that molecular interaction network topology is related to biological function and evolution. However, further whole-network analyses did not lead to a unified view on what this relation may look like, with conclusions highly dependent on the type of molecular interactions considered and the metrics used to study them. It is unclear whether global network topology drives function, as suggested by some researchers, or whether it is simply a byproduct of evolution or even an artefact of representing complex molecular interaction networks as graphs.Nevertheless, network biology has progressed significantly over the last years. We review the literature, focusing on two major developments. First, realizing that molecular interaction networks can be naturally decomposed into subsystems (such as modules and pathways), topology is increasingly studied locally rather than globally. Second, there is a move from a descriptive approach to a predictive one: rather than correlating biological network topology to generic properties such as robustness, it is used to predict specific functions or phenotypes.Taken together, this change in focus from globally descriptive to locally predictive points to new avenues of research. In particular, multi-scale approaches are developments promising to drive the study of molecular interaction networks further.

Description: Background: Acute adrenal insufficiency is a potentially lethal condition rarely caused by bilateral adrenal haemorrhage due to heparin use. Most of the times, it is difficult to establish the diagnosis, as symptoms are not specific. Few cases have been reported in the literature.Case presentationA 52-year-old Caucasian woman presented with abdominal pain, vomiting and weakness nine days after arthroplasty and heparin use. Hyperkalemia, low cortisol and high adrenocorticotropic hormone levels were found, indicating adrenal insufficiency. Magnetic resonance imaging of the upper abdomen was compatible with preceding adrenal haemorrhage. Hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone were administered. Review of the literature revealed 36 cases of postoperative adrenal haemorrhage which are presented briefly. Conclusion: Postoperative acute adrenal insufficiency due to haemorrhage is a rare condition. If patients are treated based on clinical suspicion, they have good chances to survive. Hydrocortisone is given permanently in the majority of the patients.

Description: Background: Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS) support clinical documentation at the bedside and have demonstrated effects on completeness of patient charting and the time spent on documentation. These systems are costly and raise the question if such a major investment pays off. We tried to answer the following questions: How do costs and revenues of an intensive care unit develop before and after introduction of a PDMS? Can higher revenues be obtained with improved PDMS documentation? Can we present cost savings attributable to the PDMS? Methods: Retrospective analysis of cost and reimbursement data of a 25 bed Intensive Care Unit at a German University Hospital, three years before (2004--2006) and three years after (2007--2009) PDMS implementation. Results: Costs and revenues increased continuously over the years. The profit of the investigated ICU was fluctuating over the years and seemingly depending on other factors as well. We found a small increase in profit in the year after the introduction of the PDMS, but not in the following years. Profit per case peaked at 1039 [euro sign] in 2007, but dropped subsequently to 639 [euro sign] per case. We found no clear evidence for cost savings after the PDMS introduction. Our cautious calculation did not consider additional labour costs for IT staff needed for system maintenance. Conclusions: The introduction of a PDMS has probably minimal or no effect on reimbursement. In our case the observed increase in profit was too small to amortize the total investment for PDMS implementation.This may add some counterweight to the literature, where expectations for tools such as the PDMS can be quite unreasonable.

Description: Continuous deployment of antifungals in treating infections caused by dimorphic opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans has led to the emergence of drug resistance resulting in cross-resistance to many unrelated drugs, a phenomenon termed multidrug resistance (MDR). Despite the current understanding of major factors which contribute to MDR mechanisms, there are many lines of evidence suggesting that it is a complex interplay of multiple factors which may be contributed by still unknown mechanisms. Coincidentally with the increased usage of antifungal drugs, the number of reports for antifungal drug resistance has also increased which further highlights the need for understanding novel molecular mechanisms which can be explored to combat MDR, namely, ROS, iron, hypoxia, lipids, morphogenesis, and transcriptional and signaling networks. Considering the worrying evolution of MDR and significance of C. albicans being the most prevalent human fungal pathogen, this review summarizes these new regulatory mechanisms which could be exploited to prevent MDR development in C. albicans as established from recent studies.

Description: Location estimation for object tracking is one of the important topics in the research of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Recently, many location estimation or position schemes in WSN have been proposed. In this paper, we will propose the procedure and modeling of location estimation for object tracking in WSN. The designed modeling is a simple scheme without complex processing. We will use Matlab to conduct the simulation and numerical analyses to find the optimal modeling variables. The analyses with different variables will include object moving model, sensing radius, model weighting value α, and power-level increasing ratio k of neighboring sensor nodes. For practical consideration, we will also carry out the shadowing model for analysis.

Description: This paper investigates the stability analysis problem for a class of discrete-time networked control systems (NCSs) with random time delays and packet dropouts based on unified Markov jump model. The random time delays and packet dropouts existed in feedback communication link are modeled by two independent Markov chains; the resulting closed-loop system is described by a new Markovian jump linear system (MJLS) with Markov delays. Sufficient conditions of the stochastic stability for NCSs is obtained by constructing a novel Lyapunov functional, and the mode-dependent output feedback controller design method is presented based on linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Description: The rate-dependent hysteresis in giant magnetostrictive materials is a major impediment to the application of such material in actuators. In this paper, a relevance vector machine (RVM) model is proposed for describing the hysteresis nonlinearity under varying input current. It is possible to construct a unique dynamic model in a given rate range for a rate-dependent hysteresis system using the sinusoidal scanning signals as the training set input signal. Subsequently, a proportional integral derivative (PID) control scheme combined with a feedforward compensation is implemented on a giant magnetostrictive actuator (GMA) for real-time precise trajectory tracking. Simulations and experiments both verify the effectiveness and the practicality of the proposed modeling and control methods.

Description: Unlike its saturated counterparts, the mechanical behavior of an unsaturated soil depends not only upon its stress history but also upon its hydraulic history. In this paper, a soil-water characteristic relationship which is capable of describing the effect of capillary hysteresis is introduced to characterize the influence of hydraulic history on the skeletal deformation. The capillary hysteresis is viewed as a phenomenon associated with the internal structural rearrangements in unsaturated soils, which can be characterized by using a set of internal state variables. It is shown that both capillary hysteresis and plastic deformation can be consistently addressed in a unified theoretical framework. Within this context, a constitutive model of unsaturated soils is developed by generalizing the modified Cam-Clay model. A hardening function is introduced, in which both the matric suction and the degree of saturation are explicitly included as hardening variables, so that the effect of hydraulic history on the mechanical response can be properly addressed. The proposed model is capable of capturing the main features of the unsaturated soil behavior. The new model has a hierarchical structure, and, depending upon application, it can describe the stress-strain relation and the soil-water characteristics in a coupled or uncoupled manner.

Description: Background: The apolipoprotein M (APOM) T-778C gene polymorphism has been associated with serum lipid levels and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), but the results are inconclusive. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to detect the association between the APOM T-778C polymorphism and serum lipid levels and the risk of CAD in the Chinese population. Methods: Databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and CNKI were systematically searched. Data were extracted using standardized methods. The association was assessed by mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI. Results: Ten studies with 4,413 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled effects indicated that CT+CC group had higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) (MD:-0.36, 95% CI: -0.53 -- -0.19, P 〈 0.0001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (MD: -0.08, 95% CI: -0.16 -- -0.01, P = 0.03) than TT group. There was no difference in the levels of triglyceride (MD: 0.06, 95% CI: -0.04 -- 0.15, P = 0.22) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD: 0.00, 95% CI: -0.03--0.03, P = 0.93) between TT and CT+CC groups. Pooled effects showed that CAD group had higher CT+CC genotype frequency than control group (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.62--2.39, P 〈 0.00001; heterogeneity test x2 = 2.96, P = 0.71, I2 = 0%). Conclusions: The results of the current meta-analysis show that the CT+CC group has higher levels of TC and LDL-C than the TT group. Moreover, there is also a prominent association between APOM T-778C polymorphism and the risk of CAD in the Chinese population, the CT+CC genotype is associated with increased risk of CAD.

Description: A new method for parameter sensitivity analysis of Lorenz equations is presented. The sensitivity equations are derived based on the staggered methods. Experimental results indicate that it is possible to determine effects of parameters on model variables so that we can eliminate the less effective ones. Robustness can also be verified in some confidence intervals by simply looking at the corresponding phase portraits. This enables us to control the system. Although the stability properties of the Lorenz equations are studied extensively, to the best knowledge of the authors, the PSA of Lorenz equations has not been considered which is the main goal of this paper.

Description: This paper addresses the problem of simultaneous identification of linear discrete time delay multivariable systems. This problem involves both the estimation of the time delays and the dynamic parameters matrices. In fact, we suggest a new formulation of this problem allowing defining the time delay and the dynamic parameters in the same estimated vector and building the corresponding observation vector. Then, we use this formulation to propose a new method to identify the time delays and the parameters of these systems using the least square approach. Convergence conditions and statistics properties of the proposed method are also developed. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed method. An application of the developed approach to compact disc player arm is also suggested in order to validate simulation results.

Description: Boundary layer flow through a porous medium over a stretching porous wall has seen solved with analytical solution. It has been considered two wall boundary conditions which are power-law distribution of either wall temperature or heat flux. These are general enough to cover the isothermal and isoflux cases. In addition to momentum, both first and second laws of thermodynamics analyses of the problem are investigated. The governing equations are transformed into a system of ordinary differential equations. The transformed ordinary equations are solved analytically using homotopy analysis method. A comprehensive parametric study is presented, and it is shown that the rate of heat transfer increases with Reynolds number, Prandtl number, and suction to the surface.

Description: This study carries out numerical simulations to identify the magnitude of prestress force in a highway bridge by making use of the dynamic responses from moving vehicular loads. The prestressed bridges are modeled using four-node isoparametric flat shell element taking into account the transverse shearing deformation in the finite element model. The vehicle is modeled as a multiple degrees-of-freedom system. An approach based on dynamic response sensitivity-based finite element model updating is proposed to identify the elemental prestress force. The identified results are obtained iteratively with the penalty function method with regularization from the measured structural dynamic responses. A single-span prestressed Tee beam and two-span prestressed box-girder bridge are studied as two numerical examples. The effects of road surface roughness, measurement noise, and speed of moving vehicle on the identification results are investigated. Studies indicate that the proposed method is efficient and robust for prestress force identification. Good identified results can be obtained from several measured acceleration responses.

Description: This paper presents a novel way to formulate the triangular flat shell element. The basic analytical solutions of membrane and bending plate problem for anisotropy material are studied separately. Combining with the conforming displacement along the sides and hybrid element strategy, the triangular flat shell elements based on the analytical trial functions (ATF) for anisotropy material are formulated. By using the explicit integral formulae of the triangular element, the matrices used in proposed shell element are calculated efficiently. The benchmark examples showed the high accuracy and high efficiency.