Investigation of the effects of the control parameters and outputs on power factor of switched reluctance motor drive systems

Author name used in this publication: X. D. XueAuthor name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: N. C. CheungRefereed conference paper2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Investigation of voltage dip restorer using square wave inverter

Author name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: K. P. WongRefereed conference paper2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Fruits intake and cardiovascular function in normotensive young adults: A 4 - Week Study

This study assessed the effect of increase fruits intake on cardiovascular health as specified by blood pressure and pulse rate. It is a 4 week study involving 70 apparently healthy normotensive students, between the ages of 20–30 years. They were recruited from the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and grouped into 7 (A - G). While group A received no fruit for the period of the study, B – G received as follows; guava, carrot, orange, apple, banana and a combination of all five fruits respectively. Blood pressure and pulse rate were determined before and after the study to assess the level of cardiovascular health. The results showed that blood pressure and pulse rate remained normal throughout the study. However, blood pressure and pulse rate fell non- significantly (p >0.05) in the treatment groups than those of the controls and as well as the values before treatment. Comparatively, carrot had the most percentage impact on systolic pressure (6.0%) while Apple had the most impact on diastolic pressure (8.81%) and pulse rate (8.49%). Thus, fruits intervention in normotensive  subjects is recommendable and may even be more beneficial for hypertensive individuals considering its clinical  advantage.Key words: Phyto-chemical, Fruits, Hypertension, Blood pressure, Pulse rat

LED lighting development for intelligent clothing

Author name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: Y. L. KwokAuthor name used in this publication: K. W. ChanAuthor name used in this publication: N. C. CheungAuthor name used in this publication: K. W. KwokVersion of RecordPublishe

Glycine receptor in rat hippocampal and spinal cord neurons as a molecular target for rapid actions of 17-β-estradiol

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) play important roles in regulating hippocampal neural network activity and spinal nociception. Here we show that, in cultured rat hippocampal (HIP) and spinal dorsal horn (SDH) neurons, 17-β-estradiol (E2) rapidly and reversibly reduced the peak amplitude of whole-cell glycine-activated currents (IGly). In outside-out membrane patches from HIP neurons devoid of nuclei, E2 similarly inhibited IGly, suggesting a non-genomic characteristic. Moreover, the E2 effect on IGly persisted in the presence of the calcium chelator BAPTA, the protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine, the classical ER (i.e. ERα and ERβ) antagonist tamoxifen, or the G-protein modulators, favoring a direct action of E2 on GlyRs. In HEK293 cells expressing various combinations of GlyR subunits, E2 only affected the IGly in cells expressing α2, α2β or α3β subunits, suggesting that either α2-containing or α3β-GlyRs mediate the E2 effect observed in neurons. Furthermore, E2 inhibited the GlyR-mediated tonic current in pyramidal neurons of HIP CA1 region, where abundant GlyR α2 subunit is expressed. We suggest that the neuronal GlyR is a novel molecular target of E2 which directly inhibits the function of GlyRs in the HIP and SDH regions. This finding may shed new light on premenstrual dysphoric disorder and the gender differences in pain sensation at the CNS level

Stop stereotyping.

Restraining the expression of stereotypes is a necessary requirement for harmonious living, yet surprisingly little is known about the efficacy of this process. Accordingly, in two experiments, here we used a stop-signal task to establish how effectively stereotype-related responses can be inhibited. In Experiment 1, following the presentation of gender-typed occupational contexts, participants reported the sex of target faces (i.e., Go trials) unless an occasional auditory tone indicated they should withhold their response (i.e., Stop trials). In Experiment 2, following the presentation of male and female faces, participants made either stereotypic or counter-stereotypic judgments, unless a stop signal was presented. Regardless of whether stereotyping was probed indirectly (Experiment 1) or directly (Experiment 2), a consistent pattern of results was observed; inhibition was faster for stereotypic compared with counter-stereotypic responses. These findings demonstrate that stopping stereotyping may be less challenging than has widely been assumed

Inflammatory bowel disease, such as Ulcerative colitis, is a risk factor for recurrent thromboembolic events: a case report

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a member of the family of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), occurs worldwide. It has an incidence which in recent years has been rising in areas such as Southern Europe and Asia, while remaining relatively constant in Northern Europe and North America

TSC1/2 mutations define a molecular subset of HCC with aggressive behaviour and treatment implication

Objective We investigated the mutational landscape of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling cascade in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) with chronic HBV background, aiming to evaluate and delineate mutation-dependent mechanism of mTOR hyperactivation in hepatocarcinogenesis. Design We performed next-generation sequencing on human HCC samples and cell line panel. Systematic mutational screening of mTOR pathway-related genes was undertaken and mutant genes were evaluated based on their recurrence. Protein expressions of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)1, TSC2 and pRPS6 were assessed by immunohistochemistry in human HCC samples. Rapamycin sensitivity was estimated by colony-formation assay in HCC cell lines and the treatment was further tested using our patient-derived tumour xenograft (PDTX) models. Results We identified and confirmed multiple mTOR components as recurrently mutated in HBV-associated HCCs. Of significance, we detected frequent (16.2%, n=18/111) mutations of TSC1 and TSC2 genes in the HCC samples. The spectrum of TSC1/2 mutations likely disrupts the endogenous gene functions in suppressing the downstream mTOR activity through different mechanisms and leads to more aggressive tumour behaviour. Mutational disruption of TSC1 and TSC2 was also observed in HCC cell lines and our PDTX models. TSC-mutant cells exhibited reduced colony-forming ability on rapamycin treatment. With the use of biologically relevant TSC2-mutant PDTXs, we demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of the hypersensitivity towards rapamycin treatment. Conclusions Taken together, our findings suggest the significance of previously undocumented mutation-dependent mTOR hyperactivation and frequent TSC1/2 mutations in HBV-associated HCCs. They define a molecular subset of HCC having genetic aberrations in mTOR signalling, with potential significance of effective specific drug therapy.published_or_final_versio