953 research outputs found
An SDP Approach For Solving Quadratic Fractional Programming Problems
This paper considers a fractional programming problem (P) which minimizes a
ratio of quadratic functions subject to a two-sided quadratic constraint. As is
well-known, the fractional objective function can be replaced by a parametric
family of quadratic functions, which makes (P) highly related to, but more
difficult than a single quadratic programming problem subject to a similar
constraint set. The task is to find the optimal parameter and then
look for the optimal solution if is attained. Contrasted with the
classical Dinkelbach method that iterates over the parameter, we propose a
suitable constraint qualification under which a new version of the S-lemma with
an equality can be proved so as to compute directly via an exact
SDP relaxation. When the constraint set of (P) is degenerated to become an
one-sided inequality, the same SDP approach can be applied to solve (P) {\it
without any condition}. We observe that the difference between a two-sided
problem and an one-sided problem lies in the fact that the S-lemma with an
equality does not have a natural Slater point to hold, which makes the former
essentially more difficult than the latter. This work does not, either, assume
the existence of a positive-definite linear combination of the quadratic terms
(also known as the dual Slater condition, or a positive-definite matrix
pencil), our result thus provides a novel extension to the so-called "hard
case" of the generalized trust region subproblem subject to the upper and the
lower level set of a quadratic function.Comment: 26 page
On simultaneous diagonalization via congruence of real symmetric matrices
Simultaneous diagonalization via congruence (SDC) for more than two symmetric
matrices has been a long standing problem. So far, the best attempt either
relies on the existence of a semidefinite matrix pencil or casts on the complex
field. The problem now is resolved without any assumption. We first propose
necessary and sufficient conditions for SDC in case that at least one of the
matrices is nonsingular. Otherwise, we show that the singular matrices can be
decomposed into diagonal blocks such that the SDC of given matrices becomes
equivalently the SDC of the sub-matrices. Most importantly, the sub-matrices
now contain at least one nonsingular matrix. Applications to simplify some
difficult optimization problems with the presence of SDC are mentioned
Prophylactic and Therapeutic Efficacy of Avian Antibodies against Influenza Virus H5N1 and H1N1 in Mice
Background: Pandemic influenza poses a serious threat to global health and the world economy. While vaccines are currently under development, passive immunization could offer an alternative strategy to prevent and treat influenza virus infection. Attempts to develop monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been made. However, passive immunization based on mAbs may require a cocktail of mAbs with broader specificity in order to provide full protection since mAbs are generally specific for single epitopes. Chicken immunoglobulins (IgY) found in egg yolk have been used mainly for treatment of infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Because the recent epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) strain H5N1 has resulted in serious economic losses to the poultry industry, many countries including Vietnam have introduced mass vaccination of poultry with H5N1 virus vaccines. We reasoned that IgY from consumable eggs available in supermarkets in Vietnam could provide protection against infections with HPAIV H5N1.
Methods and Findings: We found that H5N1-specific IgY that are prepared from eggs available in supermarkets in Vietnam by a rapid and simple water dilution method cross-protect against infections with HPAIV H5N1 and related H5N2 strains in mice. When administered intranasally before or after lethal infection, the IgY prevent the infection or significantly reduce viral replication resulting in complete recovery from the disease, respectively. We further generated H1N1 virus-specific IgY by immunization of hens with inactivated H1N1 A/PR/8/34 as a model virus for the current pandemic H1N1/09 and found that such H1N1-specific IgY protect mice from lethal influenza virus infection.
Conclusions: The findings suggest that readily available H5N1-specific IgY offer an enormous source of valuable biological material to combat a potential H5N1 pandemic. In addition, our study provides a proof-of-concept for the approach using virus-specific IgY as affordable, safe, and effective alternative for the control of influenza outbreaks, including the current H1N1 pandemic
EVALUATION OF EFFICACY OF NIBRG-14 VACCINE AGAINST HIGHLY PATHOGENIC H5N1 VIRUSES ISOLATED DURING 2011 INFLUENZA OUTBREAKS IN VIETNAM
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses continue to be endemic in many Asian countries causing lethal infections in human. The vaccine virus (NIBRG-14) developed from a H5N1 virus strain (A/Vietnam/1194/2004) has been approved by WHO for use in human as well as poultry vaccine. It is well-known that the A/H5N1 viruses have diversified both genetically and antigenically allowing them to escape from the host immune surveillance system. Therefore, evaluation of the vaccine immunogenicity and its relationship to newly emerging viruses is crucially important. NIBRG-14 virus particles propagated in embryonated chicken eggs were inactivated with formalin and adjuvanted with mineral oil to form a water-in-oil emulsion. The resulting vaccine was injected subcutaneously into chickens and ducks. The vaccinated birds were challenged with the HPAI virus strains circulating in Vietnam including clade 1, clade 2.3.2.1a and 2.3.2.1b at day 21 post-vaccination (p. v.). We observed that vaccinated birds were protected from manifestation of disease signs upon challenge with HPAI clade 1 and clade 2.3.2.1a viruses; however, it did not confer protection against clade 2.3.2.1b challenge andstressing the need for development of new effective vaccines against the newly emerging viruses
PCR-based detection and genetic characterization of porcine parvoviruses in South Korea in 2018
with the advantage of sequencing technology, many novel porcine parvoviruses (PPV) rather than PPV1 has been reported. This study ultilized specific PCR- based method and gene- based analysis to study the presence and genetic diversity of porcine parvoviruses in South Korea in 2018.
The present study was conducted in 2018 and found PPV1 and PPV7 in nine out of 151 field samples (organs and semen) by the PCR method. Among these, the complete genome sequences of five strains (N2, N91, N108, N133, and N141) were recovered. Phylogenic analysis revealed that the strains N2, N91, and N108 belong to the PPV1 genotype, while N133 and N141 belong to PPV7 genotype. The PPV7 strains collected in this study had deletion mutations in the VP2 gene but differed from that of PPV7 strains collected in 2017. Among the PPV1 strains, the amino acid variations in the B cell epitopes of the VP2 protein were observed between three Korean PPV1 field strains (N2, N91, and N108) and the reference PPV1 strains. Those substitutions resulted in six out of 12 predicted epitopes having significant differences in antigenic index compared to the other PPV1 strains.
This study confirmed the presence of different genotypes of porcine parvoviruses in South Korea. The PPVs circulating in South Korea were phylogenetically classified as PPV1 and PPV7 genotypes. Three Korean PPV1 strains collected in 2018 were predicted to have antigenic alteration in VP2 compared to several reference strains of PPV1.This study was supported by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Korea Ltd.
(Grant no. 20180002). The funder had no role in this study design, data
collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Association between cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and respiratory tract infections in the first 6 months of age in a Korean population: a birth cohort study (COCOA)
PurposePrevious studies suggest that the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in cord blood may show an inverse association with respiratory tract infections (RTI) during childhood. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of 25(OH)D concentrations in cord blood on infant RTI in a Korean birth cohort.MethodsThe levels of 25(OH)D in cord blood obtained from 525 Korean newborns in the prospective COhort for Childhood Origin of Asthma and allergic diseases were examined. The primary outcome variable of interest was the prevalence of RTI at 6-month follow-up, as diagnosed by pediatricians and pediatric allergy and pulmonology specialists. RTI included acute nasopharyngitis, rhinosinusitis, otitis media, croup, tracheobronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia.ResultsThe median concentration of 25(OH)D in cord blood was 32.0 nmol/L (interquartile range, 21.4 to 53.2). One hundred and eighty neonates (34.3%) showed 25(OH)D concentrations less than 25.0 nmol/L, 292 (55.6%) showed 25(OH)D concentrations of 25.0-74.9 nmol/L, and 53 (10.1%) showed concentrations of ≥75.0 nmol/L. Adjusting for the season of birth, multivitamin intake during pregnancy, and exposure to passive smoking during pregnancy, 25(OH)D concentrations showed an inverse association with the risk of acquiring acute nasopharyngitis by 6 months of age (P for trend=0.0004).ConclusionThe results show that 89.9% of healthy newborns in Korea are born with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (55.6% and 34.3%, respectively). Cord blood vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency in healthy neonates is associated with an increased risk of acute nasopharyngitis by 6 months of age. More time spent outdoors and more intensified vitamin D supplementation for pregnant women may be needed to prevent the onset of acute nasopharyngitis in infants
LAP2 Is Widely Overexpressed in Diverse Digestive Tract Cancers and Regulates Motility of Cancer Cells
BACKGROUND: Lamina-associated polypeptides 2 (LAP2) is a nuclear protein that connects the nuclear lamina with chromatin. Although its critical roles in genetic disorders and hematopoietic malignancies have been described, its expression and roles in digestive tract cancers have been poorly characterized. METHODS: To examine the expression of LAP2 in patient tissues, we performed immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. To examine motility of cancer cells, we employed Boyden chamber, wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays. To reveal its roles in metastasis in vivo, we used a liver metastasis xenograft model. To investigate the underlying mechanism, a cDNA microarray was conducted. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry in patient tissues showed widespread expression of LAP2 in diverse digestive tract cancers including stomach, pancreas, liver, and bile duct cancers. Real-time PCR confirmed that LAP2β is over-expressed in gastric cancer tissues. Knockdown of LAP2β did not affect proliferation of most digestive tract cancer cells except pancreatic cancer cells. However, knockdown of LAP2β decreased motility of all tested cancer cells. Moreover, overexpression of LAP2β increased motility of gastric and pancreatic cancer cells. In the liver metastasis xenograft model, LAP2β increased metastatic efficacy of gastric cancer cells and mortality in tested mice. cDNA microarrays showed the possibility that myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) and interleukin6 (IL6) may mediate LAP2β-regulated motility of cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: From the above results, we conclude that LAP2 is widely overexpressed in diverse digestive tract cancers and LAP2β regulates motility of cancer cells and suggest that LAP2β may have utility for diagnostics and therapeutics in digestive tract cancers
Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an
Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis
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