Watershed rainfall forecasting using neuro-fuzzy networks with the assimilation of multi-sensor information

The complex temporal heterogeneity of rainfall coupled with mountainous physiographic context makes a great challenge in the development of accurate short-term rainfall forecasts. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of multiple rainfall sources (gauge measurement, and radar and satellite products) for assimilation-based multi-sensor precipitation estimates and make multi-step-ahead rainfall forecasts based on the assimilated precipitation. Bias correction procedures for both radar and satellite precipitation products were first built, and the radar and satellite precipitation products were generated through the Quantitative Precipitation Estimation and Segregation Using Multiple Sensors (QPESUMS) and the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Cloud Classification System (PERSIANN-CCS), respectively. Next, the synthesized assimilated precipitation was obtained by merging three precipitation sources (gauges, radars and satellites) according to their individual weighting factors optimized by nonlinear search methods. Finally, the multi-step-ahead rainfall forecasting was carried out by using the adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The Shihmen Reservoir watershed in northern Taiwan was the study area, where 641 hourly data sets of thirteen historical typhoon events were collected. Results revealed that the bias adjustments in QPESUMS and PERSIANN-CCS products did improve the accuracy of these precipitation products (in particular, 30-60% improvement rates for the QPESUMS, in terms of RMSE), and the adjusted PERSIANN-CCS and QPESUMS individually provided about 10% and 24% contribution accordingly to the assimilated precipitation. As far as rainfall forecasting is concerned, the results demonstrated that the ANFIS fed with the assimilated precipitation provided reliable and stable forecasts with the correlation coefficients higher than 0.85 and 0.72 for one- and two-hour-ahead rainfall forecasting, respectively. The obtained forecasting results are very valuable information for the flood warning in the study watershed during typhoon periods. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

The impact of SARS on hospital performance

© 2008 Chu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Wild bitter gourd improves metabolic syndrome: A preliminary dietary supplementation trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bitter gourd (<it>Momordica charantia </it>L.) is a common tropical vegetable that has been used in traditional or folk medicine to treat diabetes. Wild bitter gourd (WBG) ameliorated metabolic syndrome (MetS) in animal models. We aimed to preliminarily evaluate the effect of WBG supplementation on MetS in Taiwanese adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A preliminary open-label uncontrolled supplementation trial was conducted in eligible fulfilled the diagnosis of MetS from May 2008 to April 2009. A total of 42 eligible (21 men and 21 women) with a mean age of 45.7 ± 11.4 years (23 to 63 years) were supplemented with 4.8 gram lyophilized WBG powder in capsules daily for three months and were checked for MetS at enrollment and follow-up monthly. After supplementation was ceased, the participants were continually checked for MetS monthly over an additional three-month period. MetS incidence rate were analyzed using repeated-measures generalized linear mixed models according to the intention-to-treat principle.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjusting for sex and age, the MetS incidence rate (standard error, <it>p </it>value) decreased by 7.1% (3.7%, 0.920), 9.5% (4.3%, 0.451), 19.0% (5.7%, 0.021), 16.7% (5.4%, 0.047), 11.9% (4.7%, 0.229) and 11.9% (4.7%, 0.229) at visit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 compared to that at baseline (visit 1), respectively. The decrease in incidence rate was highest at the end of the three-month supplementation period and it was significantly different from that at baseline (<it>p </it>= 0.021). The difference remained significant at end of the 4th month (one month after the cessation of supplementation) (<it>p </it>= 0.047) but the effect diminished at the 5th and 6th months after baseline. The waist circumference also significantly decreased after the supplementation (<it>p </it>< 0.05). The WBG supplementation was generally well-tolerated.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first report to show that WBG improved MetS in human which provides a firm base for further randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy of WBG supplementation.</p

Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Wolbachia in the Asiatic Rice Leafroller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, in Chinese Populations

Wolbachia are a group of intracellular inherited endosymbiontic bacteria infecting a wide range of insects. In this study the infection status of Wolbachia (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) was measured in the Asiatic rice leafroller, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), from twenty locations in China by sequencing wsp, ftsZ and 16S rDNA genes. The results showed high infection rates of Wolbachia in C. medinalis populations. Wolbachia was detected in all geographically separate populations; the average infection rate was ∼ 62.5%, and the highest rates were 90% in Wenzhou and Yangzhou populations. The Wolbachia detected in different C. medinalis populations were 100% identical to each other when wsp, ftsZ, and 16S rDNA sequences were compared, with all sequences belonging to the Wolbachia B supergroup. Based on wsp, ftsZ and 16S rDNA sequences of Wolbachia, three phylogenetic trees of similar pattern emerged. This analysis indicated the possibility of inter-species and intra-species horizontal transmission of Wolbachia in different arthropods in related geographical regions. The migration route of C. medinalis in mainland China was also discussed since large differentiation had been found between the wsp sequences of Chinese and Thai populations

A Lipid Receptor Sorts Polyomavirus from the Endolysosome to the Endoplasmic Reticulum to Cause Infection

The mechanisms by which receptors guide intracellular virus transport are poorly characterized. The murine polyomavirus (Py) binds to the lipid receptor ganglioside GD1a and traffics to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where it enters the cytosol and then the nucleus to initiate infection. How Py reaches the ER is unclear. We show that Py is transported initially to the endolysosome where the low pH imparts a conformational change that enhances its subsequent ER-to-cytosol membrane penetration. GD1a stimulates not viral binding or entry, but rather sorting of Py from late endosomes and/or lysosomes to the ER, suggesting that GD1a binding is responsible for ER targeting. Consistent with this, an artificial particle coated with a GD1a antibody is transported to the ER. Our results provide a rationale for transport of Py through the endolysosome, demonstrate a novel endolysosome-to-ER transport pathway that is regulated by a lipid, and implicate ganglioside binding as a general ER targeting mechanism

Y-chromosomal STRs haplotypes in the Taiwanese Paiwan population

The distribution of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) haplotypes was determined in a population of Taiwanese Paiwan aboriginals. Using 17 Y-STR markers, a total of 135 haplotypes were observed, 102 of which were unique. The overall haplotype diversity for the 17 Y-STR loci tested was 0.9922 and the discrimination capacity was 0.6490. In addition, three novel intermediate alleles at the DYS448 locus were also found

Long-Term Mortality of Patients with Septic Ocular or Central Nervous System Complications from Pyogenic Liver Abscess: A Population-Based Study

Background: Taiwan is endemic for pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). Septic ocular or central nervous system (CNS) complications derived from PLA can result in catastrophic disability. We investigated the epidemiology and long-term prognosis of PLA patients with septic ocular or CNS complications over an 8-year period. Methodology/Principal Findings: We extracted 21,307 patients with newly diagnosed PLA from a nationwide health registry in Taiwan between 2000 and 2007. The frequency of and risk factors for PLA with septic ocular or CNS complications were determined. The 2-year survival of these patients was compared between those with and without septic ocular or CNS complications. Septic ocular or CNS complications accounted for 2.1 % of all PLA patients. Age and the Charlson comorbidity index were significantly lower in PLA patients with ocular or CNS complications than those without. Diabetes and age,65 years were independent predictors of septic ocular or CNS complications. The 2-year mortality of patients with septic ocular or CNS complications was similar to those without complications (24.8 % vs. 27.5%, p = 0.502). However, among patients,65 years old and a Charlson index #1, the 2-year mortality was significantly higher in those with than without complications (18.6 % vs. 11.8%, p = 0.001). Conclusions/Significance: Physicians should recognize that catastrophic disability due to ocular or neurologica

Gene-Gene and Gene-Environmental Interactions of Childhood Asthma: A Multifactor Dimension Reduction Approach

Background: The importance of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on asthma is well documented in literature, but a systematic analysis on the interaction between various genetic and environmental factors is still lacking. Methodology/Principal Findings: We conducted a population-based, case-control study comprised of seventh-grade children from 14 Taiwanese communities. A total of 235 asthmatic cases and 1,310 non-asthmatic controls were selected for DNA collection and genotyping. We examined the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions between 17 singlenucleotide polymorphisms in antioxidative, inflammatory and obesity-related genes, and childhood asthma. Environmental exposures and disease status were obtained from parental questionnaires. The model-free and non-parametrical multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method was used for the analysis. A three-way gene-gene interaction was elucidated between the gene coding glutathione S-transferase P (GSTP1), the gene coding interleukin-4 receptor alpha chain (IL4Ra) and the gene coding insulin induced gene 2 (INSIG2) on the risk of lifetime asthma. The testing-balanced accuracy on asthma was 57.83 % with a cross-validation consistency of 10 out of 10. The interaction of preterm birth and indoor dampness had the highest training-balanced accuracy at 59.09%. Indoor dampness also interacted with many genes, including IL13, beta-2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6). We also used likelihood ratio tests for interaction and chi-square tests to validate our results and all tests showed statistical significance

AntEpiSeeker: detecting epistatic interactions for case-control studies using a two-stage ant colony optimization algorithm

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epistatic interactions of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are now believed to affect individual susceptibility to common diseases. The detection of such interactions, however, is a challenging task in large scale association studies. Ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms have been shown to be useful in detecting epistatic interactions.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>AntEpiSeeker, a new two-stage ant colony optimization algorithm, has been developed for detecting epistasis in a case-control design. Based on some practical epistatic models, AntEpiSeeker has performed very well.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>AntEpiSeeker is a powerful and efficient tool for large-scale association studies and can be downloaded from <url>http://nce.ads.uga.edu/~romdhane/AntEpiSeeker/index.html</url>.</p

Contribution of CgPDR1-Regulated Genes in Enhanced Virulence of Azole-Resistant Candida glabrata

In Candida glabrata, the transcription factor CgPdr1 is involved in resistance to azole antifungals via upregulation of ATP binding cassette (ABC)-transporter genes including at least CgCDR1, CgCDR2 and CgSNQ2. A high diversity of GOF (gain-of-function) mutations in CgPDR1 exists for the upregulation of ABC-transporters. These mutations enhance C. glabrata virulence in animal models, thus indicating that CgPDR1 might regulate the expression of yet unidentified virulence factors. We hypothesized that CgPdr1-dependent virulence factor(s) should be commonly regulated by all GOF mutations in CgPDR1. As deduced from transcript profiling with microarrays, a high number of genes (up to 385) were differentially regulated by a selected number (7) of GOF mutations expressed in the same genetic background. Surprisingly, the transcriptional profiles resulting from expression of GOF mutations showed minimal overlap in co-regulated genes. Only two genes, CgCDR1 and PUP1 (for PDR1 upregulated and encoding a mitochondrial protein), were commonly upregulated by all tested GOFs. While both genes mediated azole resistance, although to different extents, their deletions in an azole-resistant isolate led to a reduction of virulence and decreased tissue burden as compared to clinical parents. As expected from their role in C. glabrata virulence, the two genes were expressed as well in vitro and in vivo. The individual overexpression of these two genes in a CgPDR1-independent manner could partially restore phenotypes obtained in clinical isolates. These data therefore demonstrate that at least these two CgPDR1-dependent and -upregulated genes contribute to the enhanced virulence of C. glabrata that acquired azole resistance