A METHOD TO OBTAIN 3D KINEMATICS DATA OF WHOLE HIGH JUMP MOVEMENT

The purpose of this study was to introduce how to use 3D image analysis with Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras to obtain the 3D kinematical data in the event of high jump. The attempts by a chinese elite female highjumper were filmed with two cameras. In addition to control frame, the 3D coordinates of additional control points were measured by a theodolite and transformed into the same reference system. Then these parameters were used in the Motion Analysis System and in the software to level the reference system. Finally, the 3D kinematical data of whole high jump movement could be obtained for further analyzing techniques. This method can be used to analyze other sport events

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A REAL-TIME FEEDBACK SYSTEM IN WEIGHTLIFTING

The purpose of this study was to develop a real-time feedback system (RTFS), which can provide weightlifters some useful information, such as the heights of the bar, video clip and so on, immediately after finishing their attempts under training conditions. A Kinect was used to capture the depth data and RGB video, the methods of the pattern recognition and algorithm were established, and the software was developed to identify the barbell and calculate the 3-D data of barbell COM (Centre of Mass). An experiment was carried out to compare the data from RTFS and that from 3D analysis based on video to check the reliability of RTFS. The results showed that the data of barbell COM obtained by RTFS can describe the movement of barbell sufficiently. This new system can help weightlifters to diagnose their skills and improve their training effectively

Relationship of Serum Soluble Klotho Levels and Echocardiographic Parameters in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Uremic cardiomyopathy, characterized by myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, has a significant contribution to these adverse cardiac outcomes. The protective effect of soluble Klotho (s-Klotho) on myocardial damage was demonstrated in in vitro and animal experiments. However, data from MHD patients is limited. The present study was designed to identify potential correlations between echocardiographic parameters and serum s-Klotho levels in MHD patients. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 105 MHD patients from the Dialysis Center of Capital Medical University affiliated Beijing Friendship Hospital between March and October 2014. The general information for each patient was recorded. Fasting blood samples were collected prior to hemodialysis during the mid-week session in all patients. The echocardiogram and left lateral lumbar spine radiograph were performed after the same mid-week session. The dialysis records for each session within 3 months before the blood tests were documented. According to the quartiles of s-Klotho levels, patients were divided into four groups (Group 1–4). The demographic and clinical characteristics, echocardiographic parameters, and abdominal aortic calcification scores among the groups were compared. Results: The enrolled 105 patients were predominantly male (54.3%) with an average age of 59.9 ± 11.2 years. Previous hemodialysis durations were 76 (42–133) months. Sixteen (15.2%) patients had diabetes mellitus. Mean serum s-Klotho level was 411.83 ± 152.95 pg/mL, and the 25th percentile, 50th percentile, and 75th percentile values of serum s-Klotho levels were 298.9, 412, and 498.2 pg/mL, respectively. Individuals in the bottom quartile of s-Klotho levels (Group 1) had significantly increased interventricular septal thickness (IVST) compared to those in the other three quartiles of s-Klotho levels (Group 1: 1.12 ± 0.16 cm; vs. Group 2: 1.12 ± 0.16 cm, p = 0.008; vs. Group 3: 0.94 ± 0.13 cm, p < 0.001; vs. Group 4: 1.03 ± 0.1 5 cm, p = 0.022). There were significant differences in the ratios of IVST and posterior wall thickness (PWT) between patients of Group 1 and Group 3 (1.12 ± 0.1 2 vs. 1.00 ± 0.1 4, p = 0.004). No significant differences were found for other parameters among the groups. The univariate correlation analyses showed that gender (r = –0.211, p = 0.030), Kt/V urea (r = –0.240, p = 0.014), hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r = 0.196, p = 0.045), and serum s-Klotho levels (r = –0.260, p = 0.007) significantly correlated with IVST. Ultimately, only hs-CRP and serum s-Klotho levels were entered into a multiple regression model. Conclusions: The present study showed that patients with lower circulating s-Klotho levels were more often associated with larger IVST and greater ratios of IVST and PWT. There was an independent association between s-Klotho and IVST, and lower s-Klotho levels seem to be a potential risk factor of uremic cardiomyopathy in MHD patients

Transcriptional response of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) inoculated simultaneously with both Ganoderma boninense and Trichoderma harzianum

Application of beneficial microbes offers an environmentally friendly alternative for mitigation of basal stem rot (BSR) disease in oil palm. However, the biocontrol mechanisms of Trichoderma against the pathogenic Ganoderma spp. which cause BSR are largely unknown at the molecular level. To identify the transcripts involved during induced systemic resistance (ISR), we analyzed the root transcriptomes of oil palm seedlings inoculated simultaneously with both G. boninense and T. harzianum, and un-inoculated oil palm seedlings, as well as those that were inoculated with either pathogenic or beneficial fungi. Our analyses revealed that the biocontrol mechanisms of T. harzianum against G. boninense involve modulation of genes related to biosynthesis of phytohormones (ethylene, MeJA and MeSA), antioxidant (l-ascorbate and myo-inositol) and unique secondary metabolites such as momilactone, cell wall metabolisms, and detoxification of phytotoxic compounds; in addition to its role as a biofertilizer which improves nutritional status of host plant. The outcomes of this study have fueled our understanding on the biocontrol mechanisms involving T. harizianum against G. boninense infection in oil palm roots

Clinical values of multiple Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serological biomarkers detected by xMAP technology

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Serological examination of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies has been performed for screening nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and other EBV-associated diseases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>By using xMAP technology, we examined immunoglobulin (Ig) A antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) VCA-gp125, p18 and IgA/IgG against EA-D, EBNA1 and gp78 in populations with distinct diseases, or with different genetic or geographic background. Sera from Cantonese NPC patients (n = 547) and healthy controls (n = 542), 90 members of high-risk NPC families and 52 non-endemic healthy individuals were tested. Thirty-five of NPC patients were recruited to observe the kinetics of EBV antibody levels during and after treatment. Patients with other EBV-associated diseases were collected, including 16 with infectious mononucleosis, 28 with nasal NK/T cell lymphoma and 14 with Hodgkin's disease.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both the sensitivity and specificity of each marker for NPC diagnosis ranged 61–84%, but if combined, they could reach to 84.5% and 92.4%, respectively. Almost half of NPC patients displayed decreased EBV immunoactivities shortly after therapy and tumor recurrence was accompanied with high EBV antibody reactivates. Neither the unaffected members from high-risk NPC families nor non-endemic healthy population showed statistically different EBV antibody levels compared with endemic controls. Moreover, elevated levels of specific antibodies were observed in other EBV-associated diseases, but all were lower than those in NPC.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Combined EBV serological biomarkers could improve the diagnostic values for NPC. Diverse EBV serological spectrums presented in populations with different EBV-associated diseases, but NPC patients have the highest EBV activity.</p

Peroxiredoxin 3 Inhibits Cardiac Fibrosis in Mice via NOX4-P38 Signalling

Objective: Peroxiredoxin-3 (Prx-3) is widely acknowledged as an antioxidant that protects against mitochondrialreactive oxygen species. Nonetheless, its role in cardiac fibrosis has not been elucidated. We aim to explore the roleand mechanism of Prx-3 in cardiac fibrosis.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, mice received subcutaneous injections of isoproterenol (ISO) for 14consecutive days (10 mg/kg/d for three days, followed by 5 mg/kg/d for 11 days) to establish a cardiac fibrosis model. Themice were subsequently injected with adenovirus-Prx-3 (ad-Prx-3) to enable Prx-3 overexpression. Echocardiographywas used to evaluate cardiac function. Mice heart fibroblasts were isolated and stimulated with transforming growthfactor β1 (TGFβ1) to induce fibrosis in vitro. Cells were also transfected with ad-Prx-3 for overexpression of Prx-3.Results: Echocardiographic diameters and fibrosis markers indicated that Prx-3 could inhibit ISO-induced cardiacdysfunction and fibrosis. Fibroblasts with Prx-3 overexpression exhibited reduced activation, proliferation, and collagentranscription. We found that Prx-3 reduced the expression of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) and reduced P38 levels. Aftertreatment with a P38 inhibitor, the Prx-3 overexpression-induced anti-fibrosis effect was mitigated.Conclusion: Prx-3 could protect against ISO-induced cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting the NOX4-P38 pathway

Android malware detection technique via feature analysis

The rapidly increasing popularity of the Android platform has resulted in a significant increase in the number of malware compared to previous years. Since Android offers an open market model, it is an ideal target to launch malware attacks. Due to this problem, a lot of research work has been proposed to protect users from attacks. However, such protection cannot last long as attackers will usually find ways to defeat protection mechanism. As a result, this paper aims to develop an effective malware detection technique. The proposed method focuses on static analysis approach, which utilizes features from permissions, intents and API calls of an Android application. In order to create a sensitive and representative feature set, the proposed method also uses the correlation-based feature selection method. The final feature set will be fed into the support vector machine to perform the classification. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method achieved reliable detection accuracy at 95% and outperformed the benchmark metho

Leaf transcriptome of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) infected by Ganoderma boninense

Oil palm is susceptible to Ganoderma infection which causes basal stem rot (BSR). Induced defense gene profiles in oil palm leaves will assist the identification of markers for detection of infected oil palms. In this study, we have sequenced the mRNA samples from the leaves of G. boninense infected oil palm seedlings (LG) and in control treatment (LC). Differential gene expression analysis showed 711 and 482 genes that were up-and down-regulated more than fourfold in LG, respectively, compared to the LC. Differential gene expression analyses revealed the modulation of oil palm genes involved in defense response such as chitinases, glucanases, and thaumatin-like proteins that showed up-regulation in LG. In addition, genes for enzymes related to the biosynthesis of flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenes were up-regulated, while many genes involved in photosynthesis were found to be suppressed in LG. Our findings provided information on how infected oil palm leaves diverting their resources into defense at the cost of other biological processes, contributing towards identification of candidate markers for the detection of infected oil palms