Mathematic models on leaching behavior of chemical solidification and stabilization process for heavy metal sludges

Chemical Solidification and Stabilization of toxic metal-containing sludges is one of the most important problems for environmental protection. Although Chemical Solidification and Stabilization of hazardous wastes prior to disposal is increasing in importance, very little work has been done concerning the leaching mechanisms and kinetic models. In this study, we apply Freundlich & Langmuir isotherms on Chemical Solidification and Stabilization process, and the theoretical results match with experimental data very well. In the same time, we develop a simple methematical kinetic model which relates leaching concentration of heavy metal to curing time. In this study kinetic model, what you need to input are only leaching concentration, C, and curing time, t; instead of cumulative contaminant loss, an, initial amount of contaminant, Ao, volume of specimen, V, surface area of specimen, S, time to the end of leaching period n, tn, and effective diffusion coefficient, De, which are used in Godbee\u27s kinetic model

EEG signals analysis using multiscale entropy for depth of anesthesia monitoring during surgery through artificial neural networks

In order to build a reliable index to monitor the depth of anesthesia (DOA), many algorithms have been proposed in recent years, one of which is sample entropy (SampEn), a commonly used and important tool to measure the regularity of data series. However, SampEn only estimates the complexity of signals on one time scale. In this study, a new approach is introduced using multiscale entropy (MSE) considering the structure information over different time scales. The entropy values over different time scales calculated through MSE are applied as the input data to train an artificial neural network (ANN) model using bispectral index (BIS) or expert assessment of conscious level (EACL) as the target. To test the performance of the new index's sensitivity to artifacts, we compared the results before and after filtration by multivariate empirical mode decomposition (MEMD). The new approach via ANN is utilized in real EEG signals collected from 26 patients before and after filtering by MEMD, respectively; the results show that is a higher correlation between index from the proposed approach and the gold standard compared with SampEn. Moreover, the proposed approach is more structurally robust to noise and artifacts which indicates that it can be used for monitoring the DOA more accurately.This research was financially supported by the Center for Dynamical Biomarkers and Translational Medicine, National Central University, Taiwan, which is sponsored by Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant no. MOST103-2911-I-008-001). Also, it was supported by National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology in Taiwan (Grant nos. CSIST-095-V301 and CSIST-095-V302) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 51475342)

Pose-Normalized Image Generation for Person Re-identification

Person Re-identification (re-id) faces two major challenges: the lack of cross-view paired training data and learning discriminative identity-sensitive and view-invariant features in the presence of large pose variations. In this work, we address both problems by proposing a novel deep person image generation model for synthesizing realistic person images conditional on the pose. The model is based on a generative adversarial network (GAN) designed specifically for pose normalization in re-id, thus termed pose-normalization GAN (PN-GAN). With the synthesized images, we can learn a new type of deep re-id feature free of the influence of pose variations. We show that this feature is strong on its own and complementary to features learned with the original images. Importantly, under the transfer learning setting, we show that our model generalizes well to any new re-id dataset without the need for collecting any training data for model fine-tuning. The model thus has the potential to make re-id model truly scalable.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

Systems analysis of the human cell cycle transcription network

Cell division is one of the most fundamental processes of life whereby one cell replicates itself to produce two. The molecular machinery that drives and regulates this fundamental process has been much studied but much remains unknown. This work describes the use of transcriptomics analyses to identify putative new proteins involved with this process and subsequent attempts to prove their association with this pathway. Using the latest array technology, in Chapter 2 I describe studies that examine the expression of genes regulated during different stages of the human cell cycle. Synchronous populations of neonatal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) were generated by serum starvation and analysed in two separate microarray experiments. For the first set array experiments, samples were taken every 6 hours for 48 hours after serum refeeding, and every 2 hours for 24 hours for the second experiment. Using BioLayout Express3D, network structure analyses identified four major clusters of gene expression patterns associated with different stages of the cell cycle: G0-, early G1-, late G1-, and S/G2/M-phase. By comparison with datasets of other human cells and tissues, the list of genes in the S/G2/M cluster was refined; genes were only kept in the list if they were found to be co-expressed in cells and tissues with high levels of cell proliferation. 706 genes that were co-expressed during S/G2/M-phase were selected for further analyses. Manual curation showed that 484 are known cell cycle-associated genes, 78 are genes with putative association to the cell cycle, and 75 have known roles in other biological processes, whilst 69 were entirely uncharacterised genes. In order to investigate the 69 genes with unknown function, in Chapter 3 I describe how RNAi was used to screen 42 of these genes to see if their knockdown resulted in an effect on cell proliferation. After extensive assay optimisation, endoribonuclease-prepared siRNA (esiRNA) was delivered to NHDF cells and the effect of knockdown determined using a real time cell analysis (RTCA) system. This system monitors the change in electrical resistance induced by growing cell populations defined as the cell impedance index (CI). Using a Z-scoring cut-off to determine the hits of the RNAi screening, according to the average value of cell impedance growth rate (CIGR i.e. a value from transformed CI), 19 of 42 genes were found to significantly affect the dynamics of cell proliferation, supporting a potential role in cell division. In order to verify that the unknown proteins localise to structures compatible with a role in the cell cycle, in Chapter 4 I describe protein localisation studies on 11 of 19 genes of ‘hits’ from Chapter 3 (we were unable to obtain clones for the other 8 genes) and other genes of interest. Transfection studies of HEK293T cells with expression clones containing more than 11 ORFs with GFP fused to either the N- or C-terminal were performed. FAM111B and KIAA1549L appeared to be localised to the centrosome. In order to better understand the context in which the novel centrosomal proteins that FAM111B might operate, in Chapter 5 I describe the construction of a large-scale pathway model of centrosome life cycle based on an extensive literature review. The model is composed of 117 of the most important centrosome-associated proteins and has been constructed using the modified Edinburgh Notation (mEPN) scheme. This model was used to better annotate the genes in the original S/G2/M list and understand which of the genes in the model are regulated during cell division. This regulatory network model of the centrosome life cycle represents an important summary of current knowledge and provides a useful resource for further analyses of the novel centrosomal proteins. In summary, a list cell cycle gene was derived from microarray experiments by using network structure analyses. Subsequent analyses filtered the genes that co-expressed during S/G2/M-phase narrowing down into 706 genes. Of this list, 69 genes had not previously been associated with the cell cycle. 42 of these unknown genes were analysed by using real time RNAi screening, 19 of these genes were indeed associated with the cell proliferation, and 2 of these genes with unknown function appear to localise to the centrosome. To predict their involvement in the centrosome life cycle, a pathway map composed of 117 centrosome-associated proteins were formed. Although further research is needed to determine their position in the centrosome life cycle, the pathway can be used for computational modelling testing their putative function in the system

Modeling and analysis of chaotic behavior in switched reluctance motor drives

In this paper, modeling and analysis of chaotic behavior in switched reluctance (SR) motor drives using voltage PWM regulation is presented. The key is to derive a Poincare map that is based on the nonlinear flux linkage model. Its Jacobian matrix can be evaluated by solving the corresponding variational equation. Based on the Poincare map and its Jacobian matrix, the analysis of chaotic behavior is presented. Furthermore, bifurcation diagrams are also figured out. They facilitate to determine the stable range of various system parameters so as to avoid the occurrence of chaos. Both computer simulations and experimental measurements are given to verify the theoretical modeling and analysis.published_or_final_versio

MODELLING THE ELECTRON WITH COSSERAT ELASTICITY

Interactions between a finite number of bodies and the surrounding fluid, in a channel for instance, are investigated theoretically. In the planar model here the bodies or modelled grains are thin solid bodies free to move in a nearly parallel formation within a quasi-inviscid fluid. The investigation involves numerical and analytical studies and comparisons. The three main features that appear are a linear instability about a state of uniform motion, a clashing of the bodies (or of a body with a side wall) within a finite scaled time when nonlinear interaction takes effect, and a continuum-limit description of the body–fluid interaction holding for the case of many bodies

Interleukin-2 Confers Cardioprotection by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore

In the present study, we determined whether interleukin-2 (IL-2) confers cardioprotection by inhibiting mitochondria permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening. In isolated rat hearts subject to 30 min ischemia and 120 min reperfusion (IR), IL-2 (50 U/ml) decreased the infarct size and LDH release, effects blocked by a selective kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, Nor-BNI (5 microM) or an opener of MPTP, atractyloside (Atr, 20 microM). In isolated ventricular myocytes subjected to anoxia and reoxygenation (AR), which reduced both the amplitude of the electrically induced [Ca2+]i transient and diastolic [Ca2+]i, IL-2 attenuated the AR-induced alterations and their effects were abolished by Atr. In addition, IL-2 attenuated the reduction in calcein fluorescence in myocytes subject to AR and reduced calcium-induced swelling in mitochondria of rat hearts subjected to IR, which were similar to effect of inhibitor of MPTP. The observations indicated that IL-2 confers cardioprotection by inhibiting the MPTP opening.published_or_final_versio

Specific subsystems of the inferior parietal lobule are associated with hand dysfunction following stroke: A cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study

Aim The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) plays important roles in reaching and grasping during hand movements, but how reorganizations of IPL subsystems underlie the paretic hand remains unclear. We aimed to explore whether specific IPL subsystems were disrupted and associated with hand performance after chronic stroke. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 65 patients who had chronic subcortical strokes and 40 healthy controls from China. Each participant underwent the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Hand and Wrist and resting-state fMRI at baseline. We mainly explored the group differences in resting-state effective connectivity (EC) patterns for six IPL subregions in each hemisphere, and we correlated these EC patterns with paretic hand performance across the whole stroke group and stroke subgroups. Moreover, we used receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to distinguish the stroke subgroups with partially (PPH) and completely (CPH) paretic hands. Results Stroke patients exhibited abnormal EC patterns with ipsilesional PFt and bilateral PGa, and five sensorimotor-parietal/two parietal–temporal subsystems were positively or negatively correlated with hand performance. Compared with CPH patients, PPH patients exhibited abnormal EC patterns with the contralesional PFop. The PPH patients had one motor-parietal subsystem, while the CPH patients had one sensorimotor-parietal and three parietal-occipital subsystems that were associated with hand performance. Notably, the EC strength from the contralesional PFop to the ipsilesional superior frontal gyrus could distinguish patients with PPH from patients with CPH. Conclusions The IPL subsystems manifest specific functional reorganization and are associated with hand dysfunction following chronic stroke.Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Grant/Award Number: LGF19H270001; Shanghai Sailing Program, Grant/Award Number: 20YF144510

IFN-gamma is associated with risk of Schistosoma japonicum infection in China.

Before the start of the schistosomiasis transmission season, 129 villagers resident on a Schistosoma japonicum-endemic island in Poyang Lake, Jiangxi Province, 64 of whom were stool-positive for S. japonicum eggs by the Kato method and 65 negative, were treated with praziquantel. Forty-five days later the 93 subjects who presented for follow-up were all stool-negative. Blood samples were collected from all 93 individuals. S. japonicum soluble worm antigen (SWAP) and soluble egg antigen (SEA) stimulated IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-gamma production in whole-blood cultures were measured by ELISA. All the subjects were interviewed nine times during the subsequent transmission season to estimate the intensity of their contact with potentially infective snail habitats, and the subjects were all re-screened for S. japonicum by the Kato method at the end of the transmission season. Fourteen subjects were found to be infected at that time. There was some indication that the risk of infection might be associated with gender (with females being at higher risk) and with the intensity of water contact, and there was evidence that levels of SEA-induced IFN-gamma production were associated with reduced risk of infection