Structural state detection using quaternion-based three-channel joint transmissibility

This paper presented the use of quaternion-based three-channel joint transmissibility (QTJT) in structural state detection. During the detection process, the time-domain pure quaternion sequences were obtained based on the three dimensional spatial vibration signals from two different testing points. Then QTJTs of the object structure under different states were calculated by discrete quaternion Fourier transform (DQFT). Subsequently, modular vectors of the QTJTs were utilized to construct the state matrix of the object structure and the Karhunen-Loeve Transform (K-LT) was employed to calculate the state feature index vectors. Finally, Euclidean distance between state feature index vectors was obtained, which was considered as the state indicator. An actual experiment was performed on the test platform of ballastless track and the result with 100 percent correct identification was achieved. Combined with the experimental results, the advantages of QTJT comparing to transmissibility based on scalar signals were discussed. The QTJT can be used when the vibration composes from multiple dimensional synchronous vibrations. And more importantly, the QTJT is consistent with its theoretical value in spite of the installation orientation of the sensors

Structural state detection using quaternion-based three-channel joint transmissibility

This paper presented the use of quaternion-based three-channel joint transmissibility (QTJT) in structural state detection. During the detection process, the time-domain pure quaternion sequences were obtained based on the three dimensional spatial vibration signals from two different testing points. Then QTJTs of the object structure under different states were calculated by discrete quaternion Fourier transform (DQFT). Subsequently, modular vectors of the QTJTs were utilized to construct the state matrix of the object structure and the Karhunen-Loeve Transform (K-LT) was employed to calculate the state feature index vectors. Finally, Euclidean distance between state feature index vectors was obtained, which was considered as the state indicator. An actual experiment was performed on the test platform of ballastless track and the result with 100 percent correct identification was achieved. Combined with the experimental results, the advantages of QTJT comparing to transmissibility based on scalar signals were discussed. The QTJT can be used when the vibration composes from multiple dimensional synchronous vibrations. And more importantly, the QTJT is consistent with its theoretical value in spite of the installation orientation of the sensors

A META-ANALYSIS OF ABNORMAL GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN FIRST-EPISODE DRUG-NAIVE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Background: Patients with schizophrenia exhibit a higher mortality rate compared with the general population. This mortality has been attributed predominantly by the high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the patients. We aimed to assess the inherent risk of glucose metabolism abnormalities in first-episode drug-naïve schizophrenia. Subjects and methods: We searched English database (PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library databases) and Chinese database (Wan Fang Data, CBM disc, VIP, and CNKI) from their inception until Jul 2018 for case-control studies examining glucose metabolism abnormalities. Measurements, such as fasting plasma glucose levels, fasting plasma insulin levels, insulin resistance and HbA1c levels in first episode antipsychotic-naive patients were used to test for prediabetes. Standardized/weighted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals were calculated and analyzed. Results: 19 studies (13 in English and 6 in Chinese) consisting of 1065 patients and 873 controls were included. Fasting plasma glucose levels (95% CI; 0.02 to 0.29; P=0.03), 2 h plasma glucose levels after an OGTT (95% CI; 0.63 to 1.2; P<0.00001), fasting plasma insulin levels (95% CI; 0.33 to 0.73; P<0.00001), insulin resistance (95% CI; 0.29 to 0.6; P<0.00001) in patients with firstepisode schizophrenia were significant elevated. There was no significant difference in HbA1c level (95% CI; -0.34 to 0.18; P=0.54) in patients with first-episode schizophrenia compared with controls. Conclusions: This meta-analysis showed that glucose metabolism was impaired in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Higher quality studies with larger samples are warranted to confirm these findings

Structural state inspection using dual-tree quaternion wavelet transform

The dual-tree quaternion wavelet transform (QWT) was used in conjunction with quaternion-based three-channel joint transmissibility (QTJT) for state inspection. Multiple QTJTs from the same structural state were used to construct a state matrix, which was considered as a feature image. Then QWT coefficients of the feature image were calculated. It supported one magnitude and three phases, in particular, the low-frequency magnitude-phase was set as state feature index. Ultimately, the difference of the state feature indexes were utilized as the state indicator. This method reduced the influence on state inspection caused by measurement uncertainty of single testing sample, because it took overall consideration of multiple testing samples and described the similarity from multiple directions. The availability of suggested method was demonstrated by a real experiment, in which the state changing was realized by loosening fasteners and altering the longitudinal force of rail. This method was also compared with method based on Karhunen-Loeve Transform (K-LT) and artificial neural network (ANN). Experimental result indicated that the suggested method was integrated optimal, moreover, the resolution of the longitudinal force of rail was less than 10 MPa which was equivalent to temperature change of 1.75 °C for full-lock rail

Activation of p53-regulated pro-apoptotic signaling pathways in PrP-mediated myopathy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We have reported that doxycycline-induced over-expression of wild type prion protein (PrP) in skeletal muscles of Tg(HQK) mice is sufficient to cause a primary myopathy with no signs of peripheral neuropathy. The preferential accumulation of the truncated PrP C1 fragment was closely correlated with these myopathic changes. In this study we use gene expression profiling to explore the temporal program of molecular changes underlying the PrP-mediated myopathy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used DNA microarrays, and confirmatory real-time PCR and Western blot analysis to demonstrate deregulation of a large number of genes in the course of the progressive myopathy in the skeletal muscles of doxycycline-treated Tg(HQK) mice. These include the down-regulation of genes coding for the myofibrillar proteins and transcription factor MEF2c, and up-regulation of genes for lysosomal proteins that is concomitant with increased lysosomal activity in the skeletal muscles. Significantly, there was prominent up-regulation of p53 and p53-regulated genes involved in cell cycle arrest and promotion of apoptosis that paralleled the initiation and progression of the muscle pathology.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data provides the first <it>in vivo </it>evidence that directly links p53 to a wild type PrP-mediated disease. It is evident that several mechanistic features contribute to the myopathy observed in PrP over-expressing mice and that p53-related apoptotic pathways appear to play a major role.</p

Organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) modulates multiple cardiometabolic traits through effects on hepatic thiamine content.

A constellation of metabolic disorders, including obesity, dysregulated lipids, and elevations in blood glucose levels, has been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Analysis of data from recently published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) demonstrated that reduced-function polymorphisms in the organic cation transporter, OCT1 (SLC22A1), are significantly associated with higher total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels and an increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, yet the mechanism linking OCT1 to these metabolic traits remains puzzling. Here, we show that OCT1, widely characterized as a drug transporter, plays a key role in modulating hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism, potentially by mediating thiamine (vitamin B1) uptake and hence its levels in the liver. Deletion of Oct1 in mice resulted in reduced activity of thiamine-dependent enzymes, including pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), which disrupted the hepatic glucose-fatty acid cycle and shifted the source of energy production from glucose to fatty acids, leading to a reduction in glucose utilization, increased gluconeogenesis, and altered lipid metabolism. In turn, these effects resulted in increased total body adiposity and systemic levels of glucose and lipids. Importantly, wild-type mice on thiamine deficient diets (TDs) exhibited impaired glucose metabolism that phenocopied Oct1 deficient mice. Collectively, our study reveals a critical role of hepatic thiamine deficiency through OCT1 deficiency in promoting the metabolic inflexibility that leads to the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic disease

Characteristics of Tibetan medicine preparations used in the Chinese-Tibetan Hospital of Derong County

Purpose: To investigate the Tibetan medicine preparations used in Derong Chinese-Tibetan Hospital. Methods: In this study, 115 preparations were collected from the Chinese-Tibetan Hospital of Derong County. A statistical table of information on medicine preparation was prepared in Excel format, and it included information on the forms of preparations, medicinal materials, medicinal parts used, frequency of use, and clinical applications. Results: The 115 preparations were mainly pills. In clinics, they were used for treating liver disease, stomach-ache, gastric ulcer, nephrotic pain and fever. It was found that 226 medicines were used in various preparations. The plant components used varied from whole herbs, fruits, seeds, roots, rhizomes, and animal-based medicines, to flowers. The most frequently used plants/herbs were Terminalia chebula Retz., Carthamus tinctorius L., Aucklandia lappa Decne., Alpinia katsumadai Hayata and Phyllanthus emblica L. The most commonly used drug combinations involved three fruits (Terminalia chebula Retz., Terminalia billerica (Gaertn.) Roxb and Phyllanthus emblica L.). The preparations and medicinal materials used for liver and stomach diseases are described in detail in this article. These include Terminalia chebula Retz., Aucklandia lappa Decne. and Carthamus tinctorius L. Conclusion: The study has analysed the characteristics and clinical uses of Tibetan medicine preparations and summarised the diseases and medicinal materials in the Tibetan area. These preparations and medicinal materials, with their many years of clinical use, may become invaluable gifts of Tibetan medicine to the world

Censor-Based Cooperative Multi-Antenna Spectrum Sensing with Imperfect Reporting Channels

The present contribution proposes a spectrally efficient censor-based cooperative spectrum sensing (C-CSS) approach in a sustainable cognitive radio network that consists of multiple antenna nodes and experiences imperfect sensing and reporting channels. In this context, exact analytic expressions are first derived for the corresponding probability of detection, probability of false alarm, and secondary throughput, assuming that each secondary user (SU) sends its detection outcome to a fusion center only when it has detected a primary signal. Capitalizing on the findings of the analysis, the effects of critical measures, such as the detection threshold, the number of SUs, and the number of employed antennas, on the overall system performance are also quantified. In addition, the optimal detection threshold for each antenna based on the Neyman-Pearson criterion is derived and useful insights are developed on how to maximize the system throughput with a reduced number of SUs. It is shown that the C-CSS approach provides two distinct benefits compared with the conventional sensing approach, i.e., without censoring: i) the sensing tail problem, which exists in imperfect sensing environments, can be mitigated; and ii) less SUs are ultimately required to obtain higher secondary throughput, rendering the system more sustainable.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Highly polarized carbon nano-architecture as robust metal-free catalyst for oxygen reduction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2018.04.021 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Metal-free electrocatalysts have eluded widespread adoption in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells due to their far inferior catalytic activity than most non-precious metal-N-C counterparts (M-Nx-C) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), despite their distinct advantages over the M-Nx-C catalysts, including lower cost and higher durability. Herein, we develop a rational bottom-up engineering strategy to improve the ORR performance of a metal-free catalyst by constructing a three-dimensional ultrathin N, P dual-doped carbon nanosheet. The resultant catalyst represents unprecedented ORR performance with an onset potential of 0.91 V, half-wave potential of 0.79 V. Impressively, a maximum power output at 579 mW cm−2 is generated in the fuel cell test, the best among reported metal-free catalysts and outperforms most of the M-Nx-C catalysts. The outstanding catalytic performance results from the highly active polarized carbon sites which are induced by selective graphitic nitrogen and phosphorous dual doping. Our findings provide new directions for the exploration of alternatives to Pt and bring a renew interests in the metal-free catalysts.National Natural Science Foundation of China || (21633008, 21433003, U1601211, 21733004) National Science and Technology Major Project || (2016YFB0101202) Jilin Province Science and Technology Development Program || (20150101066JC, 20160622037JC, 20170203003SF, 20170520150JH) Hundred Talents Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Recruitment Program of Foreign Experts || (WQ20122200077