Spectral characterizations of propeller graphs

A propeller graph is obtained from an $\infty$-graph by attaching a path to the vertex of degree four, where an $\infty$-graph consists of two cycles with precisely one common vertex. In this paper, we prove that all propeller graphs are determined by their Laplacian spectra as well as their signless Laplacian spectra

Targeted Next Generation Sequencing Revealed a Novel Homozygous Loss-of-Function Mutation in ILDR1 Gene Causes Autosomal Recessive Nonsyndromic Sensorineural Hearing Loss in a Chinese Family

Hereditary hearing impairment is one of the major and common birth defects in Chinese population. Non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss (NSHL) is the most common types of hereditary hearing impairment. Genotypically and phenotypically NSHL is extremely heterogenous and follow either autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive or X-linked mode of inheritance. Presently, 127 genes have been identified to be associated with both syndromic and (NSHL). Here, we studied a Chinese family with moderate and profound hearing impairment. The proband is a 30-year old Chinese man. The proband was born with normal hearing and at the age of 5-years, the proband was first noticed with hearing impairment. Gradually and progressively the proband was presented with loss of hearing in his both right and left ears at the age of 30 years. The clinical symptoms, age of onset or progression to loss of hearing was similar in both the proband and his younger brother. The proband’s parents are phenotypically normal and non-consanguineous. Clinical diagnosis of the proband and his younger brother has been done by classical pure tone audiogram (PTA). Computed Tomography (CT) found no abnormality in bilateral external ear, middle ear and inner ear. Targeted next generation sequencing was performed with a panel of 127 genes reported to be associated with hereditary hearing impairment. A novel homozygous single nucleotide deletion (c.427delT) in exon 4 of ILDR1 gene has been identified in proband and in his younger brother. Sanger sequencing confirmed that proband’s father and mother are carrying this mutation in a heterozygous manner. This mutation has not been identified in 100 normal healthy control individuals. This mutation (c.427delT) causes frameshift (p.Tyr143Ilefs∗19) which leads to the formation of a truncated ILDR1 protein of 162 amino acids instead of the wild type ILDR1 protein of 546 amino acids. ILDR1 associated hereditary hearing impairment is very rare and this is the first report of identifying a loss-of-function mutation in ILDR1 gene associated with hereditary hearing impairment in Chinese population. Our present study also emphasized the significance of rapid, accurate and cost-effective screening for the patient with hereditary hearing impairment by targeted next generation sequencing

Dynamic domination in fuzzy causal networks

This paper presents a dynamic domination theory for fuzzy causal networks (FCN). There are three major contributions. First, we propose a new inference procedure based on dominating sets. Second, we introduce the concepts of dynamic and minimal dynamic dominating sets (DDS and MDDS) in an FCN. To reflect changes of dominance with time, we also introduce the concept of a dynamic dominating process (DDP) that has significant implications in many real-world problems. We pay a special attention to the minimal dynamic dominating process (MDDP) and develop rules for generating DDP and MDDP. Third, we investigate dynamic dominating sets with extended feedback, which we call effective dynamic dominating sets (EDDS), and related effective dynamic dominating process (EDDP). This study unveils a very important phenomenon in FCN: At any time t, either an EDDS exists or there is a dramatic change of the states of vertices. In the latter case we also identify the special structure of the sub-FCN induced by active vertices

Fuzzy causal networks : general model, inference, and convergence

In this paper, we first propose a general framework for fuzzy causal networks (FCNs). Then, we study the dynamics and convergence of such general FCNs. We prove that any general FCN with constant weight matrix converges to a limit cycle or a static state, or the trajectory of the FCN is not repetitive. We also prove that under certain conditions a discrete state general FCN converges to its limit cycle or static state n O(n) steps, where n is the number of vertices of the FCN. This is in striking contrast with the exponential running time 2n, which is accepted widely for classic FCNs

Influence of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose, gelatin, poloxamer 407 and poloxamer 188 on the formation and stability of soybean oil-in-water emulsions

Macromolecules of polysaccharides, proteins and poloxamers have a hydrophobic portion and a hydrophilic one that can be used as emulsifiers. Parts of these emulsifiers are safe pharmaceutical excipients, which can replace the irritant low molecular weight surfactants to formulate emulsions for the pharmaceutical field. This project focused on preparing O/W emulsions stabilized with polymers for pharmaceuticals such as polysaccharides, proteins and poloxamers, including hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), gelatin, poloxamer 407 (F127) and poloxamer 188 (F68). Emulsion physical stability was assessed by centrifugation, autoclaving sterilization and droplet size measurements. The stabilization mechanisms of emulsions were determined by interfacial tension and rheological measurements. Results stated that the efficacy of these polymers for pharmaceuticals stabilized emulsions was sorted in the order: F127 > F68 > HPMC > MC > Gelatin