Residue codes of extremal Type II Z_4-codes and the moonshine vertex operator algebra

In this paper, we study the residue codes of extremal Type II Z_4-codes of length 24 and their relations to the famous moonshine vertex operator algebra. The main result is a complete classification of all residue codes of extremal Type II Z_4-codes of length 24. Some corresponding results associated to the moonshine vertex operator algebra are also discussed.Comment: 21 pages, shortened from v

Assessing celebrity endorsement effects in China : a consumer-celebrity relational approach

Author name used in this publication: Chan, Kimmy W.2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Antioxidant Properties of Novel Solid-State Fermented Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom and Fungi Products

[[abstract]]Four culinary-medicinal fungi and mushrooms (Cordyceps sinensis, Termitomyces albuminosus, Antrodia camphorata, and A. salmonea) were individually inoculated into different cooked grains, and new products were formed after fungal fermentation and their antioxidant properties studied. The effectiveness of ethanolic extracts in antioxidant activities was in the descending order: the grains > products > mycelia. EC50 values of the hot water extract from four products in reducing power were 2.14-10.11 mg/mL, whereas those of the ethanolic extracts were 2.56-71.34 mg/mL. With regard to scavenging ability, all EC50 values of both extracts from 12 samples were less than 13 mg/mL, except for the hot water extract from A. camphorata mycelium. EC50 values of both extracts from four products in chelating ability were 1.50-9.96 mg/mL, except for the hot water extract from Cordyceps-fermented polished rice and the ethanolic extract from A. camphorata-fermented embryo rice. Total phenol contents of both extracts from mycelia, products, and grain substrates were 2.45-12.26, 3.24-13.13, and 1.15-7.74 mg/g, respectively. Overall, four medicinal mushroom and fungi-fermented products were relatively effective in the antioxidant properties assayed and might be potential antioxidants for application in food products

The structure of the PapD-PapGII pilin complex reveals an open and flexible P5 pocket

P pili are hairlike polymeric structures that mediate binding of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to the surface of the kidney via the PapG adhesin at their tips. PapG is composed of two domains: a lectin domain at the tip of the pilus followed by a pilin domain that comprises the initial polymerizing subunit of the 1,000-plus-subunit heteropolymeric pilus fiber. Prior to assembly, periplasmic pilin domains bind to a chaperone, PapD. PapD mediates donor strand complementation, in which a beta strand of PapD temporarily completes the pilin domain's fold, preventing premature, nonproductive interactions with other pilin subunits and facilitating subunit folding. Chaperone-subunit complexes are delivered to the outer membrane usher where donor strand exchange (DSE) replaces PapD's donated beta strand with an amino-terminal extension on the next incoming pilin subunit. This occurs via a zip-in-zip-out mechanism that initiates at a relatively accessible hydrophobic space termed the P5 pocket on the terminally incorporated pilus subunit. Here, we solve the structure of PapD in complex with the pilin domain of isoform II of PapG (PapGIIp). Our data revealed that PapGIIp adopts an immunoglobulin fold with a missing seventh strand, complemented in parallel by the G1 PapD strand, typical of pilin subunits. Comparisons with other chaperone-pilin complexes indicated that the interactive surfaces are highly conserved. Interestingly, the PapGIIp P5 pocket was in an open conformation, which, as molecular dynamics simulations revealed, switches between an open and a closed conformation due to the flexibility of the surrounding loops. Our study reveals the structural details of the DSE mechanism

Kernelization and Parameterized Algorithms for 3-Path Vertex Cover

A 3-path vertex cover in a graph is a vertex subset $C$ such that every path of three vertices contains at least one vertex from $C$. The parameterized 3-path vertex cover problem asks whether a graph has a 3-path vertex cover of size at most $k$. In this paper, we give a kernel of $5k$ vertices and an $O^*(1.7485^k)$-time and polynomial-space algorithm for this problem, both new results improve previous known bounds.Comment: in TAMC 2016, LNCS 9796, 201

Forehead EEG in Support of Future Feasible Personal Healthcare Solutions: Sleep Management, Headache Prevention, and Depression Treatment

© 2013 IEEE. There are current limitations in the recording technologies for measuring EEG activity in clinical and experimental applications. Acquisition systems involving wet electrodes are time-consuming and uncomfortable for the user. Furthermore, dehydration of the gel affects the quality of the acquired data and reliability of long-term monitoring. As a result, dry electrodes may be used to facilitate the transition from neuroscience research or clinical practice to real-life applications. EEG signals can be easily obtained using dry electrodes on the forehead, which provides extensive information concerning various cognitive dysfunctions and disorders. This paper presents the usefulness of the forehead EEG with advanced sensing technology and signal processing algorithms to support people with healthcare needs, such as monitoring sleep, predicting headaches, and treating depression. The proposed system for evaluating sleep quality is capable of identifying five sleep stages to track nightly sleep patterns. Additionally, people with episodic migraines can be notified of an imminent migraine headache hours in advance through monitoring forehead EEG dynamics. The depression treatment screening system can predict the efficacy of rapid antidepressant agents. It is evident that frontal EEG activity is critically involved in sleep management, headache prevention, and depression treatment. The use of dry electrodes on the forehead allows for easy and rapid monitoring on an everyday basis. The advances in EEG recording and analysis ensure a promising future in support of personal healthcare solutions