An interactive mobile learning system for generic wireless networks

This paper describes how a simple interactive mobile learning system, originally developed for the 2G system, evolved to a system for the 3G (TD-SCDMA) system, then to a system for the WiFi access system and finally become a generic Interactive Wireless Mobile Learning System which can be used in any wireless networks. The system designs in different stages of evolution are presented. To promote mobile learning and celebrate the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Wireless Mobile Learning System was modified to become a tool used in an Inter-School Mobile Quiz Contest with participation of 17 secondary and primary schools and the results were very successful and encouraging.published_or_final_versionThe 5th IEEE GCC Conference & Exhibition, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 17-19 March 2009. In Proceedings of the IEEE - GCC Conference & Exhibitio

An assessment of the use of sediment traps for estimating upper ocean particle fluxes

This review provides an assessment of sediment trap accuracy issues by gathering data to address trap hydrodynamics, the problem of zooplankton “swimmers,” and the solubilization of material after collection. For each topic, the problem is identified, its magnitude and causes reviewed using selected examples, and an update on methods to correct for the potential bias or minimize the problem using new technologies is presented. To minimize hydrodynamic biases due to flow over the trap mouth,the use of neutrally buoyant sediment traps is encouraged. The influence of swimmers is best minimized using traps that limit zooplankton access to the sample collection chamber. New data on the impact of different swimmer removal protocols at the US time-series sites HOT and BATS are compared and shown to be important. Recent data on solubilization are compiled and assessed suggesting selective losses from sinking particles to the trap supernatant after collection, which may alter both fluxes and ratios of elements in long term and typically deeper trap deployments. Different methods are needed to assess shallow and short- term trap solubilization effects, but thus far new incubation experiments suggest these impacts to be small for most elements. A discussion of trap calibration methods reviews independent assessments of flux, including elemental budgets, particle abundance and flux modeling, and emphasizes the utility of U-Th radionuclide calibration method

Designing CALL for learning Chinese characters

Despite the enormity of its quantity, printed or written forms of Chinese characters are composed from a limited number of common components. For example, the characters for pond( ), lake( ), stream( ), river ( ), sea( ) and ocean( ) all contain a component in common, a three-dot component representing water. When this clue is explicitly highlighted to students, the learning of Chinese characters can be greatly enhanced. Using a computer to help students to develop this kind of structural awareness about language learning has not yet been thoroughly examined. This paper reports on the design of CALL software based on a pedagogic method which helps students to develop the higher order skills to analyse and categorise Chinese characters by using components. The result of the classroom experiment has shown supportive evidence on the feasibility and the need of integrating the software with an affective and contextual way of teaching Chinese characters.postprin

Black shale deposition and early diagenetic dolomite cementation during Oceanic Anoxic Event 1: The mid-Cretaceous Maracaibo Platform, northwestern South America

Thin laterally continuous organic-rich dolomitic marlstones were deposited in the extended Late Aptian - Early Albian epicontinental sea of northwestern South America. These intervals are the proximal equivalents of thick hemipelagic black shale-ammonitic floatstone couplets, deposited in the distally stepped, differentially subsiding part of the Maracaibo Platform. The marlstones reflect the dynamic conditions resulting from orbital forcing mechanisms and can be genetically related to (1) minor sea-level changes, (2) proximal turnovers in marine productivity, and (3) sudden climate shifts affecting mid-Cretaceous shoaling upward, shallow marine, carbonate cyclicity. Therefore, the marlstones may well be linked to the multiple environmental perturbations collectively referred to as Oceanic Anoxic Event 1. The interstitial euhedral dolomite has a medium crystallinity, and exhibits unusual textural relations with framboidal pyrite and gypsum. The authigenic mineral assemblage also includes quartz, Ca-F apatite, and barite, which together with the chemical signals of dolomite, point to an unsteady climate regime. Bulk-rock biomarker parameters, rare earth element geochemistry, and iron speciation data point to widespread photic zone anoxia and transient shallow marine euxinia by the time of deposition, with climatic instability driving the delivery of oxidized detritus from the hinterlands. These conditions led to a schizohaline redox stratified environment favorable to dolomite precipitation. In such a depositional setting, the bio-utilization of Fe, Mn, and sulfur for organic matter respiration sustained elevated pore-water alkalinity and pH, and allowed for the pre-compactional growth of interstitial dolomite

A novel 16-channel wireless system for electroencephalography measurements with dry spring-loaded sensors

Understanding brain function using electroencephalography (EEG) is an important issue for cerebral nervous system diseases, especially for epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease. Many EEG measurement systems are used reliably to study these diseases, but their bulky size and the use of wet sensors make them uncomfortable and inconvenient for users. To overcome the limitations of conventional EEG measurement systems, a wireless and wearable multichannel EEG measurement system is proposed in this paper. This system includes a wireless data acquisition device, dry spring-loaded sensors, and a sizeadjustable soft cap. We compared the performance of the proposed system using dry versus conventional wet sensors. A significant positive correlation between readings from wet and dry sensors was achieved, thus demonstrating the performance of the system. Moreover, four different features of EEG signals (i.e., normal, eye-blinking, closed-eyes, and teeth-clenching signals) were measured by 16 dry sensors to ensure that they could be detected in real-life cognitive neuroscience applications. Thus, we have shown that it is possible to reliably measure EEG signals using the proposed system. This paper presents novel insights into the field of cognitive neuroscience, showing the possibility of studying brain function under real-life conditions. © 2014 IEEE

Single channel wireless EEG device for real-time fatigue level detection

© 2015 IEEE. Driver fatigue problem is one of the important factors of traffic accidents. Recent years, many research had investigated that using EEG signals can effectively detect driver's drowsiness level. However, real-time monitoring system is required to apply these fatigue level detection techniques in the practical application, especially in the real-road driving. Therefore, it required less channels, portable and wireless, real-time monitoring and processing techniques for developing the real-time monitoring system. In this study, we develop a single channel wireless EEG device which can real-time detect driver's fatigue level on the mobile device such as smart phone or tablet. The developed device is investigated to obtain a better and precise understanding of brain activities of mental fatigue under driving, which is of great benefit for devolvement of detection of driving fatigue system. This system consists of a Bluetooth-enabled one channel EEG, a regression model, and smartphone, which was a platform recording and transforming the raw EEG data to useful driving status. In the experiment, this was a sustained-attention driving task to implement in a virtual-reality (VR) driving simulator. To training model and develop the system, we were performed for 15 subjects to study Electroencephalography (EEG) brain dynamics by using a mobile and wireless EEG device. Based on the outstanding training results, the leave-one-subject-out cross validation test obtained 90% fatigue detection accuracy. These results indicate that the combination of a smartphone and wireless EEG device constitutes an effective and easy wearable solution for detecting and preventing driver fatigue in real driving environments

MERS-CoV antibody responses 1 Year after symptom onset, South Korea, 2015

We investigated the kinetics of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) neutralizing and spike protein antibody titers over the course of 1 year in 11 patients who were confirmed by reverse transcription PCR to have been infected during the outbreak in South Korea in 2015. Robust antibody responses were detected in all survivors who had severe disease; responses remained detectable, albeit with some waning, for <1 year. The duration of viral RNA detection (but not viral load) in sputum significantly correlated with the antibody response magnitude. The MERS S1 ELISA antibody titers correlated well with the neutralizing antibody response. Antibody titers in 4 of 6 patients who had mild illness were undetectable even though most had evidence of pneumonia. This finding implies that MERS-CoV seroepidemiologic studies markedly underestimate the extent of mild and asymptomatic infection. Obtaining convalescent-phase plasma with high antibody titers to treat MERS will be challenging.published_or_final_versio

CD44+ cancer stem-like cells in EBV-associated nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

published_or_final_versio

Characterization of intrinsic properties of cingulate pyramidal neurons in adult mice after nerve injury

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is important for cognitive and sensory functions including memory and chronic pain. Glutamatergic excitatory synaptic transmission undergo long-term potentiation in ACC pyramidal cells after peripheral injury. Less information is available for the possible long-term changes in neuronal action potentials or intrinsic properties. In the present study, we characterized cingulate pyramidal cells in the layer II/III of the ACC in adult mice. We then examined possible long-term changes in intrinsic properties of the ACC pyramidal cells after peripheral nerve injury. In the control mice, we found that there are three major types of pyramidal cells according to their action potential firing pattern: (i) regular spiking (RS) cells (24.7%), intrinsic bursting (IB) cells (30.9%), and intermediate (IM) cells (44.4%). In a state of neuropathic pain, the population distribution (RS: 21.3%; IB: 31.2%; IM: 47.5%) and the single action potential properties of these three groups were indistinguishable from those in control mice. However, for repetitive action potentials, IM cells from neuropathic pain animals showed higher initial firing frequency with no change for the properties of RS and IB neurons from neuropathic pain mice. The present results provide the first evidence that, in addition to synaptic potentiation reported previously, peripheral nerve injury produces long-term plastic changes in the action potentials of cingulate pyramidal neurons in a cell type-specific manner

Functional investigation of tumor and angiogenesis suppressive candidate tumor suppressor, cysteine-rich intestinal protein 2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Session 8 - Epithelial cells, Infection, Carcinoma: abstract no. 55postprintThe 14th Biennial Symposium of the International Association for Research on Epstein-Barr Virus and Associated Diseases (EBV 2010), Birmingham, U.K., 4-7 September 2010