Mathematical control of complex systems

Copyright © 2013 ZidongWang et al.This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Mathematical control of complex systems 2013

Mathematical control of complex systems have already become an ideal research area for control engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists, and biologists to understand, manage, analyze, and interpret functional information/dynamical behaviours from real-world complex dynamical systems, such as communication systems, process control, environmental systems, intelligent manufacturing systems, transportation systems, and structural systems. This special issue aims to bring together the latest/innovative knowledge and advances in mathematics for handling complex systems. Topics include, but are not limited to the following: control systems theory (behavioural systems, networked control systems, delay systems, distributed systems, infinite-dimensional systems, and positive systems); networked control (channel capacity constraints, control over communication networks, distributed filtering and control, information theory and control, and sensor networks); and stochastic systems (nonlinear filtering, nonparametric methods, particle filtering, partial identification, stochastic control, stochastic realization, system identification)

A mutual GrabCut method to solve co-segmentation

Extent: 11 p.Co-segmentation aims at segmenting common objects from a group of images. Markov random field (MRF) has been widely used to solve co-segmentation, which introduces a global constraint to make the foreground similar to each other. However, it is difficult to minimize the new model. In this paper, we propose a new Markov random field-based co-segmentation model to solve co-segmentation problem without minimization problem. In our model, foreground similarity constraint is added into the unary term of MRF model rather than the global term, which can be minimized by graph cut method. In the model, a new energy function is designed by considering both the foreground similarity and the background consistency. Then, a mutual optimization approach is used to minimize the energy function. We test the proposed method on many pairs of images. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.Zhisheng Gao, Peng Shi, Hamid Reza Karimi and Zheng Pe

Rapid Synthesis of 2-Substituted-2,3-dihydro-4(1H)-quinazolinones using Boric Acid or Sodium Dihydrogen Phosphate under Solvent-Free Conditions

Two efficient and convenient methods have been described for synthesis of 2-substituted-2,3-dihydro-4(1H)-quinazolinone derivatives by one-pot condensation of 2-anthranilamide with aldehydes or ketones in the presence of a catalytic amount of boric acid or sodium dihydrogen phosphate under solvent-free conditions. The attractive features of these processes are short reaction times, easy isolation of products, excellent yields and an environmental friendly procedure.Keywords: Dihydroquinazolinones, boric acid, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, 2-anthranilamide, solvent-free synthesi

Differentiation of definitive endoderm from human induced pluripotent stem cells on hMSCs feeder in a defined medium

Background: The Definitive Endoderm (DE) differentiation using the undefined media and non-human feeders can cause contaminations in the generated cells for therapeutic applications. Therefore, generating safer and more appropriate DE cells is needed. This study compared five different methods to establish an appropriate method for inducing an efficient DE differentiation from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) on an appropriate feeder in a more defined medium. Methods: Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) were cultured on inactivated feeders. Passaged hiPSCs, without feeder, were incubated for three days with Activin-A and different endodermal differentiation media including 1-FBS, 2-B27, 3- ITS and albumin fraction-V, 4-B27 and ITS and 5-like the third medium. The feeder cells in the first four methods were Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEFs) and in the fifth method were human adult bone marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs). DE markers FOXA2, SOX17 and CXCR4 and also pluripotency marker OCT4 were evaluated using qRT-PCR, as well as FOXA2 by the immunocytochemistry. Results: QRT-PCR analysis showed that after three days, the expression levels of DE and pluripotency markers in the differentiated hiPSCs among all five groups did not have any significant differences. Similarly, the immunocytochemistry analysis demonstrated that the differentiated hiPSCs expressed FOXA2, with no significant differences. Conclusion: Despite this similarity in the results, the third differentiation medium has more defined and cost effective components. Furthermore, hMSC, a human feeder, is safer than MEF. Therefore, the fifth method is preferable among other DE differentiation methods and can serve as a fundamental method helping the development of regenerative medicine. © 2016, Avicenna Journal of Medical Biotechnology. All rights reserved

Breastfeeding Needs in Adolescent Mothers: A systematic review

Adolescent mothers face numerous challenges while breastfeeding. The purpose of the study was to assess the breastfeeding needs of adolescent mothers. Two researchers independently searched the databases Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, SID, and Magiran. The initial search yielded 2290 studies, of which 41 were eventually included in this systematic review. Breastfeeding requirements of adolescent mothers were categorized into eight categories: 1. Social support from health care providers, partners, and families; 2. School support for breastfeeding mothers, 3. Receiving breastfeeding counseling based on cultural sensitivities, 4. Educational assistance from health providers for adolescent mothers' families 5. Changing harmful cultural values and judgments about adolescent mothers' breastfeeding, 6. Additional home or outpatient visits in the days following hospital discharge; 7. Peer support and peer counseling, 8. Economic needs.  To promote breastfeeding, policymakers and healthcare providers ought to devise specifically tailored programs and interventions to cater to the specific requirements of mothers. Keywords: Breastfeeding; Adolescent Mothers; Infant Feeding; Need; Qualitative Study

The association between iron deficiency anemia and febrile seizure

Objective Different studies have reported contradictory results regarding the relationship between iron deficiency anemia (IDA) and febrile seizure (FS). The present study was conducted to determine the effect of IDA on FS in children. Patients and methods This case-control study was conducted among 52 children with FS (the case group) and 18 children with afebrile seizures and 51 children with fever without seizures in the age range of 6 months to 5 years admitted to the pediatric ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam from March 2016 to January 2017. Patients were selected using the convenience sampling method. Red blood cell (RBC) count as well as measurement of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), ferritin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) levels were performed in all patients. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS16 software. Results A total of 34.6 in the FS group, 66.7 in the afebrile seizure group and 41.2 in the fever without seizure group suffered from IDA, which was not statistically significant between the three groups. Hb, Hct and RBC levels were higher in the case group and MCV, MCH, MCHC levels in the case group were lower than those in the control group. The odds ratio (OR) for FS compared to the febrile group was 0.756 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.34-1.68; p = 0.493 and that for FS compared to seizure was 0.265 (95% CI = 0.085-0.823; p = 0.022). Conclusions This study showed that IDA may have protective effects on the onset of FS, and based on the results, IDA is more common in children with afebrile seizures. Further and more comprehensive studies are recommended

Orexin 1 receptors in the anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex regulate cost and benefit decision-making

Abstract Orexin neurons are discretely localized within the lateral hypothalamus and have widespread projections into all areas of the brain. In addition, several lines of evidence specify that orexins may also participate in the regulation of a variety of affective and cognitive processes. The Orexin-1 receptor (OX1r) is distributed extensively throughout the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Delay-based decision- making is mediated largely by the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) while effort- based decision-making is controlled by the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC). Hence, in the present study, a series of experiments were conducted to clarify the role of OX1r in the mPFC (ACC and/or OFC) in cost and benefit decision-making. The rats were trained in a delay and/or effort-based form of cost-benefit T-maze decision-making task. Two goal arms were different in the amount of accessible reward and cost. Before surgery, all animals were selecting the high reward arm and pay the cost on almost every trial. During the test days, the rats received local injections of either DMSO 20% /0.5 μl, as a vehicle, or SB334867 (3, 30 and 300 nM/0.5 μl), as a selective OX1r antagonist, within the ACC and/or OFC. The results of this study showed that the bilateral microinjection of SB334867 into ACC and/or OFC changed the preference to a low reward arm with no cost, indicating the role of OX1 receptors in cost and benefit decision- making. From these results, it can be implied that OX1 receptors in the mPFC play a crucial role for allowing the animal to evaluate and pay the cost to acquire greater rewards. Keywords Delay-based decision-making Effort-based decision-making Orexin Orbitofrontal cortex Anterior cingulate cortex Ra

Assessment of Antidermatophytic Activities of Urtica dioica L against Microsporum canis in a Guinea Pig Model

Purpose: To investigate the antidermatophytic effects of Urtica dioica L. against Microsporum canis in vitro and in a guinea pig model.Methods: The in vitro antifungal activity of the extracts was measured by disc diffusion method and assessment of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The dorsum of the guinea pigs was infected with M. canis and topically treated as follows: negative control (NC) received no treatment; positive control (PC) received terbinafine 1 %; DMSO group (negative control) received 10 % DMSO (vehicle); while three other groups, viz, SN10%, SN20% and SN30% received 10, 20 and 30 % hydroalcohol extract dissolved in 10 % DMSO, respectively.Results: Both extracts did not show considerable antifungal activity against M. canis compared with terbinafine. The MICs of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts were 30 and 20 mg.ml-1, respectively. PC and SN30% groups showed normal hair growth on day 15 while their skin looked healthy on day 30 post-inoculation. Lesion severity and clinical scores declined in SN30% and PC groups in comparison to NC group, on day 30 post-inoculation. Also, on day 30 post-inoculation, the clinical efficacy of the test formulations increased to 11.76, 23.52, 76.47, 5.88, and 94.11 % for SN10%, SN20%, SN30%, DMSO10%, and PC groups, respectively.Conclusions: The hydroalcoholic extract of this plant could be further developed, with a view to its possibe use as an adjunct remedy for topical treatment of tinea corporis.Keywords: Urtica dioica L., Microsporum canis, Kurdish Ethnomedicine, Antifungal, Hair growth, Lesion, Dermatophytosis, Tinea corpori

Women's Portable Habitats

Academic studies increasingly examine the relationship between the social organization of space, gender and sexuality in contemporary Muslim societies. Such studies tend to consider historical, socio-political and religious notions associated with the veil, or chador, as it is traditionally known in Iran. Whether bound up with the concept of male/female spatial binaries or closely involved with aspects of space that create visual and physical control, studies rarely deal with the veil as an entity that can be understood as a secondary space, or a 'habitat' which clinches women's bodies in public