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Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-tag-10.1177_17562848231155023 for An explainable artificial intelligence system for diagnosing Helicobacter Pylori infection under endoscopy: a case–control study by Mengjiao Zhang, Jie Pan, Jiejun Lin, Ming Xu, Lihui Zhang, Renduo Shang, Liwen Yao, Yanxia Li, Wei Zhou, Yunchao Deng, Zehua Dong, Yijie Zhu, Xiao Tao, Lianlian Wu and Honggang Yu in Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology

A drug-drug interaction (DDI) is a reaction between two or more drugs that can reduce or increase the reaction of a medicine synergistically or cause adverse side effects. DDI detection, therefore, is an important objective in patient safety and pharmaceutical industry. Many researchers try to predict the DDI of unknown drugs by training the known DDI data in-silico approaches. In-silico approaches can be categorized into three groups: knowledge-based, similarity-based, and graph-based. Among them, graph-based approaches are known to have achieved great performance by casting DDI prediction as a link prediction problem on DDI graphs. In this paper, we explore how we can improve DDI prediction performance of the embedding learning method node2vec[6] using representation learning algorithms of graph neural networks (GNNs). We first created and trained node2vec model to obtain initial drug features; then we used three GNN based models to improve the learned node2vec drug embedding; finally, we used four different classifiers to implement link prediction, which is DDI prediction. Our experimental results showed that all four classifiers performance were improved using GNN learned embedding. Accepted version

Background: Linking genotypic changes to phenotypic traits based on machine learning methods has various challenges. In this study, we developed a workflow based on bioinformatics and machine learning methods using transcriptomic data for sepsis obtained at the first clinical presentation for predicting the risk of sepsis. By combining bioinformatics with machine learning methods, we have attempted to overcome current challenges in predicting disease risk using transcriptomic data.Methods: High-throughput sequencing transcriptomic data processing and gene annotation were performed using R software. Machine learning models were constructed, and model performance was evaluated by machine learning methods in Python. The models were visualized and interpreted using the Shapley Additive explanation (SHAP) method.Results: Based on the preset parameters and using recursive feature elimination implemented via machine learning, the top 10 optimal genes were screened for the establishment of the machine learning models. In a comparison of model performance, CatBoost was selected as the optimal model. We explored the significance of each gene in the model and the interaction between each gene through SHAP analysis.Conclusion: The combination of CatBoost and SHAP may serve as the best-performing machine learning model for predicting transcriptomic and sepsis risks. The workflow outlined may provide a new approach and direction in exploring the mechanisms associated with genes and sepsis risk.

Tremendous efforts have been exerted to develop effective and ecofriendly materials for separation of oil/water mixtures and emulsions. However, porous materials with superwettability for oil/water separation are usually fabricated from nonrenewable precursors, which contradicts with the concept of green development. Inspired by the cellular porosity and hierarchical organization of wood, biodegradable cut and sawed wood slices with different pore sizes were separately machined by a razor blade and a fine-toothed saw. The cut and sawed slices separately possessed rough single- and double-layer structures. After silylation with MTCS, both machined slices repelled water entirely but allowed the complete permeation of oils. The fragment-free cut slice with relatively large pore size was able to separate immiscible oil/water mixtures, while the fragment-covered sawed slice with relatively small pore size could separate water-in-oil emulsions. Compared with other wood slice by sawing, the section structure and superoleophilic property made the slices have a high oil flux for a series of mixtures and emulsions, which reached 72 kL m−2 h−1 and 464 L m−2 h−1, respectively. The flux was high even after 10 cycles, exhibiting favorable recyclable stability.

Viral myocarditis (VMC) commonly triggers heart failure, for which no specific treatments are available. This study aims to explore the specific role of long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) in VMC. A VMC mouse model was induced by Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). Then, MEG3 and TNF receptor‐associated factor 6 (TRAF6) were silenced and microRNA‐223 (miR‐223) was over‐expressed in the VMC mice, followed by determination of ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS). Dual‐luciferase reporter assay was introduced to test the interaction among MEG3, TRAF6 and miR‐223. Macrophages were isolated from cardiac tissues and bone marrow, and polarization of M1 or M2 macrophages was induced. Then, the expressions of components of NLRP3 inflammatory body (NLRP3, ASC, Caspase‐1), M1 markers (CD86, iNOS and TNF‐α) and M2 markers (CD206, Arginase‐1 and Fizz‐1) were measured following MEG3 silencing. In the VMC mouse model, MEG3 and TRAF6 levels were obviously increased, while miR‐223 expression was significantly reduced. Down‐regulation of MEG3 resulted in the inhibition of TRAF6 by promoting miR‐223. TRAF6 was negatively correlated with miR‐223, but positively correlated with MEG3 expression. Down‐regulations of MEG3 or TRAF6 or up‐regulation of miR‐223 was observed to increase mouse weight, survival rate, LVEF and LVFS, while inhibiting myocarditis and inflammation via the NF‐κB pathway inactivation in VMC mice. Down‐regulation of MEG3 decreased M1 macrophage polarization and elevated M2 macrophage polarization by up‐regulating miR‐223. Collectively, down‐regulation of MEG3 leads to the inhibition of inflammation and induces M2 macrophage polarization via miR‐223/TRAF6/NF‐κB axis, thus alleviating VMC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription on the key proteins of the ADPN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in a rat model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). MethodsAfter one week of adaptive feeding, 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into blank group, model group, polyene phosphatidylcholine group, and high-, middle-, and low-dose Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription groups, with 12 rats in each group. The rats in the blank group were given normal diet, and those in the other groups were given high-fat diet to establish a model of NASH. All rats except those in the blank group were given corresponding drug by gavage. The rats in the model group were given normal saline (1 ml·100 g-1·d-1) by gavage, those in the polyene phosphatidylcholine group were given the suspension of polyene phosphatidylcholine capsules (0.028 5 g·100 g-1·d-1) by gavage, and those in the high-, middle-, and low-dose Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription groups were given Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription at a dose of 5.04 g·100 g-1 ·d-1, 2.52 g·100 g-1·d-1, and 1.26 g·100 g-1·d-1, respectively. Samples were collected 10 weeks later; chemiluminescence was used to measure the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC), and Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of adiponectin (ADPN), adiponectin receptor 2 (AdipoR2), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and phosphorylated NF-κB (p-NF-κB) in liver tissue. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the blank group, the model group showed fatty change of liver tissue and had significant increases in the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, TG, and TC (all P＜0.05), as well as significant reductions in the protein expression of ADPN, AdipoR2, PI3K, Akt, and p-Akt (all P＜0.05) and significant increases in the protein expression of NF-κB and p-NF-κB (all P＜0.05). Compared with the model group, each treatment group had significant reductions in the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, TG, and TC (all P＜0.05), significant increases in the protein expression of ADPN, AdipoR2, and p-Akt (all P＜0.05), and significant reductions in the protein expression of NF-κB and p-NF-κB (all P＜0.05). Compared with the polyene phosphatidylcholine group, the high-dose Huatan Qushi Huoxue prescription group had significant reductions in the serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, TG, and TC (all P＜0.05), significant increases in the protein expression of ADPN, AdipoR2, PI3K, and p-Akt (all P＜0.05), and significant reductions in the protein expression of NF-κB and p-NF-κB (all P＜0.05). ConclusionHuatan Qushi Huoxue prescription may exert a therapeutic effect on NASH by regulating the ADPN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, upregulating the protein expression of ADPN, AdipoR2, PI3K, and p-Akt, and downregulating the protein expression of NF-κB and p-NF-κB.

Additional file 1.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are validated targets for the development of anticancer drugs in epigenetics. In the discovery of novel HDAC inhibitors with anticancer potency, the 5-chloro-4-((substituted phenyl)amino)pyrimidine fragment is assembled as a cap group into the structure of HDAC inhibitors. The SAR revealed that presence of small groups (such as methoxy substitution) is beneficial for the HDAC inhibitory activity. In the enzyme inhibitory selectivity test, compound L20 exhibited class I selectivity with IC50 values of 0.684 µM (selectivity index of >1462), 2.548 µM (selectivity index of >392), and 0.217 µM (selectivity index of >4608) against HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 compared with potency against HDAC6 (IC50 value of >1000 µM), respectively. In the antiproliferative assay, compound L20 showed both hematological and solid cancer inhibitory activities. In the flow cytometry, L20 promoted G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of K562 cells.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) has been implicated in the progression of myocarditis. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role by which STAT4 influences autoimmune myocarditis in an attempt to identify a theoretical therapeutic perspective for the condition. After successful establishment of an autoimmune myocarditis rat model, the expression patterns of STAT4, NF-κB pathway-related genes, Th1 inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2), and Th2 inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-10) were subsequently determined. The rats with autoimmune myocarditis were treated with oe-STAT4 or sh-STAT4 lentiviral vectors to evaluate the role of STAT4 in autoimmune myocarditis, or administrated with 1 mL 10 μmol/L of BAY11-7082 (the NF-κB pathway inhibitor) via tail vein to investigate the effect of the NF-κB pathway on autoimmune myocarditis. Finally, cell apoptosis was evaluated. The serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-2, extent of IκBα and P65 phosphorylation, and the expression of STAT4 were elevated, while the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10 as well as the expression of IκBα were reduced among the rats with autoimmune myocarditis, which was accompanied by an increase in the apoptotic cells. More importantly, the silencing of STAT4 or the inhibition of the NF-κB pathway was detected to result in a decrease in the serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 and an elevation of the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-10, and inhibited myocardial cell apoptosis in rats with autoimmune myocarditis. Moreover, STAT4 silencing was also observed to decrease the extent of IκBα and P65 phosphorylation while acting to elevate the expression of IκBα. Taken together, silencing of STAT4 could hinder the progression of autoimmune myocarditis by balancing the expression of Th1/Th2 inflammatory cytokines via the NF-κB pathway, which may provide a novel target for experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) treatment.

Light oil/water/heavy oil triphase mixtures are common in industrial wastewater, while nearly all separation materials with superwettability can only separate biphase mixtures of light oil/water or/and heavy oil/water. Here, a balsa wood slice with superhydrophilic/superoleophilic property in air was fabricated by a blade-cutting and ethanol-treating process. Therefore, the slice could be dually prewetted with both water and oil and thus showed underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic properties without any further chemical modification. Such a slice showed underoil superhydrophobicity in nonbasic environment while transition into underoil superhydrophilicity under basic condition. Combining with the porous structure possessed by wood designed to transport liquids, this superwettability of the treated wood slice could be leveraged in the continuous separation of light oil/water/heavy oil triphase mixtures only driven by gravity with a high permeation flux and separation efficiency. After each separation, the slice was easily recovered by washing with acidic solution, and it could be recycled up to 15 times without any loss of pH responsibility. During repeated cycling separation, the slice exhibited excellent separation stability.

The structure constitute of high performance human centrifuge is made a brief introduction. Then the technology monitoring system is emphasis made stated from basic constitution, fault events source and alarming mechanism and other aspects, explaining that through multilayer protections system can ensure the safety usage of human centrifuge.

Filamentous fungi are intensively used for producing industrial enzymes, including lignocellulases. Employing insoluble cellulose to induce the production of lignocellulases causes some drawbacks, e.g., a complex fermentation operation, which can be overcome by using soluble inducers such as cellobiose. Here, a triple β-glucosidase mutant of Neurospora crassa, which prevents rapid turnover of cellobiose and thus allows the disaccharide to induce lignocellulases, was applied to profile the proteome responses to cellobiose and cellulose (Avicel). Our results revealed a shared proteomic response to cellobiose and Avicel, whose elements included lignocellulases and cellulolytic product transporters. While the cellulolytic proteins showed a correlated increase in protein and mRNA levels, only a moderate correlation was observed on a proteomic scale between protein and mRNA levels (R 2 = 0.31). Ribosome biogenesis and rRNA processing were significantly overrepresented in the protein set with increased protein but unchanged mRNA abundances in response to Avicel. Ribosome biogenesis, as well as protein processing and protein export, was also enriched in the protein set that showed increased abundance in response to cellobiose. NCU05895, a homolog of yeast CWH43, is potentially involved in transferring a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor to nascent proteins. This protein showed increased abundance but no significant change in mRNA levels. Disruption of CWH43 resulted in a significant decrease in cellulase activities and secreted protein levels in cultures grown on Avicel, suggesting a positive regulatory role for CWH43 in cellulase production. The findings should have an impact on a systems engineering approach for strain improvement for the production of lignocellulases.IMPORTANCE Lignocellulases are important industrial enzymes for sustainable production of biofuels and bio-products. Insoluble cellulose has been commonly used to induce the production of lignocellulases in filamentous fungi, which causes a difficult fermentation operation and enzyme loss due to adsorption to cellulose. The disadvantages can be overcome by using soluble inducers, such as the disaccharide cellobiose. Quantitative proteome profiling of the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa revealed cellobiose-dependent pathways for cellulase production, including protein processing and export. A protein (CWH43) potentially involved in protein processing was found to be a positive regulator of lignocellulase production. The cellobiose-dependent mechanisms provide new opportunities to improve the production of lignocellulases in filamentous fungi.

The friction at the steel pipe–flowing concrete interface plays an important role in concrete pumpability. To reduce the friction or improve pumpability, in this paper, various ultrafine po...

Recently, combined quantitative and qualitative analysis has become popular for research. In studying careers, subjective and objective information are ideal for assessing individual career development and are relevant in career counseling. This paper measures career adaptability by combining text mining and item response theory (IRT), with college students' self-reported career adaptability as a subjective measure and responses to questionnaire items as an objective measure. The two are combined under a Bayesian framework. Additionally, the validity of text categorization and IRT, combined with model measurement, were explored; text categorization results were used as prior information when estimating IRT capability parameters to test whether adding prior information can improve accuracy. This study draws the following conclusions: (1) The text classification method had the highest sensitivity in 300-person samples; however, the text-IRT method had the best predictive effect, high reliability, and unique advantages in accuracy. (2) In 600-person samples, the text classification method had the best predictive effect. The effect was relatively good, with unique advantages in identifying low career adaptability. However, this must be selected according to actual needs. If the accuracy requirement is high and sensitivity can be sacrificed, the text-IRT method is more appropriate. (3) The text-IRT method is more suitable for 900 subjects when accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity need to be considered, and text classification is best when identifying low career adaptability. (4) Sample size influenced accuracy, specificity, and the negative predictive values of text classification, as well as the sensitivity of IRT and text-IRT methods.

Controllable geometry silicon surfaces with superhydrophobicity are difficult to be fabricated without photolithography techniques. Superhydrophobic silicon surfaces with water contact angle larger than 150o and sliding angle less than 10o have been successfully fabricated by electrochemical etching strategy. Squarelike hole arrays with controllable geometries, especially ole width and depth were formed on silicon. Compared with the chemical composition, the obvious change of the hole size and surface roughness with etching time was actually the intrinsic factors for wetting regulation. The superhydrophobic silicon exhibited good stability even after storage in air and oil for 2 months. Moreover, the relatively stable superhydrophobic silicon exhibited good self-cleaning and water-proofing properties in air and oil.

In this study, combined effect of coarse aggregate and fiber properties on tensile behavior of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) was investigated. Four replacement levels of coarse aggregates (0%, 15%, 25%, 35% by volume of mortar) and four types of steel fiber (three micro-fibers with a shape difference and one macro-fiber) were considered. Results showed that replacement level of coarse aggregate has a critical value of 25% and different fiber types act similarly in regard of compressive strength. Coarse aggregate brought impairment to bonding strength and utilization efficiency of fiber, especially for deformed ones. Furthermore, coarse aggregate could be successfully introduced into system of UHPC without impairing its tensile properties at a favorable replacement level (⩽25%). In addition, phenomenon of strain hardening behaviors of UHPC incorporating coarse aggregate could be triggered by further increasing fiber dosage to larger than 2.5%, however, it was independent of fiber type due to combined effect of coarse aggregate and fiber bridging.

The influence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber volume fraction and fly ash content on the creep behavior of high ductility cementitious composites (HDCC) under compression was investigated. For this investigation, the creep behavior of four HDCC groups with cube compressive strength of 30–50 MPa, PVA fiber volume fraction of 1.5% and 2.0%, and fly ash content of 60% and 80% at 7 d and 28 d loading periods, respectively, were evaluated. A compressive creep model, which reflects the loading age and holding time, was established. The results revealed that when the load was applied at 7 d and 28 d, and then maintained for 245 d, the specific creep of HDCC ranged from 95×10-6/ MPa to 165×10-6/ MPa and from 59×10-6/ MPa to 135 × 10−6/ MPa, respectively. The corresponding creep coefficients ranged from 1.48 to 2.25 and from 1.10 to 1.94, respectively. The PVA fiber volume fraction and fly ash content were the main factors affecting the specific creep of HDCC, which increased with increasing fiber fraction and fly ash content. Under short-term loading, the fiber volume fraction played a leading role in the specific creep, and the fly ash content played the leading role during long-term loading. Furthermore, the specific creep and creep coefficient decreased significantly with increasing loading age. The classical creep model described by a power exponent function is suitable for HDCC.

Many substances with excellent corrosion inhibition can’t be dissolved into aqueous solution according to the amount required by the formulation due to poor solubility, thus reducing the corrosion inhibition effect of the agent. Therefore, a spherical solid corrosion inhibitor has been developed. The effect of dosage and temperature on the corrosion inhibition rate was studied by corrosion test. The results showed that the best dosage of corrosion inhibition ball was 28.5mg/l, and the corrosion inhibition rate decreased with the increase of temperature. When the water temperature was 35 °C, 45 °C and 55 °C, the corrosion rates of carbon steel were 0.0243mm/a, 0.0306mm/a and 0.0559mm/a, which were lower than the national standard 0.075 mm / a indicating that the inhibitor has good corrosion resistance.

Cork is a renewable and biodegradable raw material, which was directly stripped from the periderm of oak bark. The natural amphiphilic chemical composition endowed its pristine surface with hydrophobicity and superoleophilicity in air. Based on the wettability of pristine cork, a stable superhydrophilic and superoleophilic cork membrane without any coating was fabricated via a facile, low-cost, and eco-friendly ethanol- and H2O2-treating process. The superamphiphilic treated membrane exhibited underwater superoleophobicity or underoil superhydrophobicity just by prewetting it with water or oil. This superamphiphilicity of the obtained membrane, combined with its natural permeability of tracheids, plasmodesmata and capillaries, enabled it to separate heavy oil from water or separate water from light oil. Furthermore, without using any continuous external stimulus, a good reversible switching between underwater superoleophobicity and underoil superhydrophobicity could be achieved simply by drying and washing alternately. With such superwettability, the membrane could selectively separate oil/water mixtures with high separation efficiency over multiple cycles solely driven by gravity. Moreover, the membrane could maintain superamphiphilicity in air and superamphiphobicity under liquids after scratching by a penknife or rubbing by a sandpaper. This simple but effective strategy will inspire the design and fabrication of other plant membranes for practical applications in oil/water separation.

The present study investigated effect of fiber type and hybrid modes on flexural toughness and fracture mechanics behavior of ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) with coarse aggregates wa...

A composite fiber based on carbon nanotube (CNT) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was prepared by melt-spinning. Structural features and the mechanical performances of the PVA/CNT composite fiber were investigated as a function of draw condition. Initial moduli and tensile strengths of the drawn composite fibers are much higher than those of undrawn composite fiber. It is identified from XRD and 2D XRD that the composite fiber exhibits enhanced crystallinity and orientation degree with increasing the draw ratio. Accordingly, finger-like pores distributed along the axial direction homogeneous on the melt-spinning PVA fiber surface. After dry and hot-drawn, the hydrophobicity of PVA/CNT composites fiber decreased gradually.

Cu 2 O nanoparticles and CuO nanowires were prepared by a thermal oxidation method. The high-energy e-beam in a transmission electron microscope was used to study the anti-radiation properties of the Cu 2 O and CuO nanomaterials. The morphology of Cu 2 O nanoparticles greatly changed during irradiating. Notable mass transmission was observed and new grains formed away the irradiated region. By contrast, neither mass transmission was detected nor new grains were formed when CuO nanowires were irradiated at similar situation. No phase transition was detected whether for Cu 2 O nanoparticles or CuO nanowires during irradiation. The chemical and mechanical stabilities of CuO and Cu 2 O under e-beam irradiation were discussed.

Fe–25Mn–3Si–3Al steels obtained much attention because of their excellent mechanical properties. However, the fracture behavior of the steels remains unclear. In this study, Fe–25Mn–3Si–3Al steels ...

A novel system which include a new concept called cascade nested organic Rankine cycle (ORC) was proposed based on LNG (liquified natural gas) cryogenic exergy utilization. The flue gas from the magnesite processing industry and LNG was used as heat source and heat sink for ORC respectively. Meanwhile CO2 in the flue gas was captured by LNG. The mixed working fluid, regenerator and LNG regasification pressure play a key role in the system. Furthermore, the generating power capacity, the exergy efficiency, the CO2 capture quantity and the cold energy utilization efficiency were calculated as criteria to evaluate the system performance. The results indicate that the selection of suitable mixed working fluid and the installation of regenerator can improve the system performance effectively. Under the given condition, the exergy efficiency of the integrated system, the efficiency of LNG cold energy utilization, the output power of the integrated system and the amount of CO2 capture reaches to 56.9%, 20.81%, 22.59 kWh/tLNG and 0.29tCO2/tLNG respectively. Moreover, as the LNG gasification pressure increases, the exergy efficiency and cold energy utilization efficiency increases, while the CO2 capture quantity and power generation decreases.

Abundant Cu/Cr interface was produced to study the interfacial diffusion at face-centered-cubic/body-centered-cubic interface during heavy cold drawing. Notable interface diffusion with a width of 2–4 nm at Cu/Cr interface was detected. The appearance of the interdiffusion is well explained by the mechanical mixing mechanism with dislocations gliding through the Cu/Cr interface. The greater inelastic scattering of electrons at the interdiffusion zone was responsible to the more rapid increase of electrical resistivity with the increase of drawing strains.

The toughness of cement-based materials, related to the performance such as durability and strength, attracts much more attention nowadays. In this paper, the curve of bending load-deflection was adopted to research the influencesof polymers (dispersibility emulsion powder, PVA and styrene butadiene latex) and fibers (PVAF, steel fiber,basalt fiber) on basic mechanical properties and toughness. The results show that the PVAF pre-incorporate in cement motor could improve the toughness of cement motor. In addition, an environmental scanning electron microscopic analysis (ESEM) and hardness were adopted to analyze the microscope morphology of polymer films inside of hardened cementitious composites.

In order to improve the grain drying quality and automation level, combined with the structural characteristics of the cross-flow circulation grain dryer designed and developed by us, the temperature, moisture, and other parameters measuring sensors were placed on the dryer, to achieve online automatic detection of process parameters during the grain drying process. A drying model predictive control system was set up. A grain dry predictive control model at constant velocity and variable temperature was established, in which the entire process was dried at constant velocity (i.e., precipitation rate per hour is a constant) and variable temperature. Combining PC with PLC, and based on LabVIEW, a system control platform was designed.

Wireless Capsule Endoscope (WCE) enables developing actively controlled capsule for potential complex surgeries, imaging, and new medicine tests. These tasks of WCE need safe, efficient, and precise 3D localization techniques. In this paper, a new application of the magnetic resonance coupling (MRC) technique, which has been widely developed for efficient wireless power transfer, is introduced. It is proposed that the distance dependent signal strength in a MRC system can be beneficially used for 3D localization. The new 3D-MRC localization system consists of three orthogonal emitting coils which are powered by a battery in the capsule, and three pairs of orthogonal receiving coils which are placed outside human body. The distances between the WCE and the receiving coils can be estimated with good accuracy by studying the signal strengths in individual receiving coils. The proposed new 3D-MRC localization system also exhibits higher efficiency when compared with traditional magnetic induction method for 3D localization due to the use of MRC.

In the process of drying, uneven drying rate will lead to the decline of grain quality, including the increase of crackle ratio, the destruction of the edible quality. In this paper, based on PAGE model the numerical simulation method suitable for circulated rice drying process of constant rate was developed and circulated rice drying process of constant rate was built. The simulation software of circulated rice drying process of constant rate was developed by MATLAB graphical interface language. Based on software setting of parameters including initial moisture, drying rate, hot air temperature, ambient temperature and ambient humidity, the simulation experiment of circulated rice drying process of constant rate could be conducted, the curves of grain moisture, grain temperature and drying rate could be drawn. The simulation experiment of rice circulation drying of constant rate was conducted, and the simulation results could served as the application of constant drying rate circulation drying.

This study characterizes income inequality and mobility of Canadian children between the ages of 4/5 and 14/15. There is considerable inequality of family income. Moreover, income position is especially persistent for children at the bottom and top of the distribution; this is unfair and may be perpetuated into adulthood. Finally, family structure is very important for children’s material well-being; for example, they experience a considerable drop in income position upon parental separation/ divorce. It is recommended that such children be protected, perhaps through advance maintenance payments.

Polyaspartic acid (PASP) composite, a scale inhibitor, was prepared from PASP, itaconic acid—acrylic acid—acrylic ester (IA-AA-AE) terpolymer and 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTCA). The scale inhibition of PASP composite and the effect of its synergism with a magnetic field on scale inhibition were investigated. Calcium carbonate crystals in scale samples were characterized by means of SEM and XRD. The static and dynamic experiments show that the chelating function of PASP composite for Ca2+ can be enhanced by synergism with a magnetic field. Under Ca2+ 650 mg/L, HCO 3 − 1,300 mg/L and PASP composite 4 mg/L, the scale inhibition rate of PASP composite in magnetic water can increase by 10% in static state and by 20% in dynamic experiments. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that calcite and aragonite can be completely transformed into vaterite by using PASP composite.

Current-controlled variable inductors adjust the inductance of an alternating current (ac) coil by applying a controlled dc current to saturate the iron cores of the ac coil. The controlled dc current has to be maintained during operation, which results in increased power losses. This paper presents a new stress-based variable inductor to control inductance using the inverse magnetostrictive effect of a magnetostrictive material. The stress can be applied by a piezoelectrical material, and thus a voltage-controlled variable inductor can be realized with zero-power consumption. The new stress-based variable inductor concept is validated using a 3-D finite-element analysis. A prototype was manufactured, and the experimental results are presented. A linear relationship between inductance and applied stress can be achieved.

Magnetic Lead Screw (MLS) is a new type of high performance linear actuator that is attractive for many potential applications. Structure simplification is quite essential in promoting the MLS technology and the main difficulty of the MLS technology lies in the manufacturing of its complicated helical-shape magnetic poles. In this paper, a new type of structure is proposed for forming the required helical-shape magnetic poles in a much simpler way. It is demonstrated that traditional ring-shape magnetic poles, with proper rotating, can well approximate the complicated helical-shape magnetic poles, resulting in great manufacturing simplification. The performance of the new structure is compared to a MLS with ideal helical-shape poles using 3D Finite Element Analysis. Surface mounted and flux concentration designs using the new principle are both introduced.

A typical giant magnetostrictive actuator (GMA) expands a magnetostrictive rod to generate strain by varying the current in the coil that surrounds the magnetostrictive rod. The heat generated by the current deteriorates the GMA performance. In particular, a constant current in the coil is required to produce the desired magnetic field when an output strain should be maintained. The GMA does not produce any mechanical power in this condition, but constant power is being consumed by the excitation coil. This paper presents a new type of motor-driven GMA (MDGMA), which works in a coil-free driven manner. The magnetic field in the iron–gallium alloy (Galfenol), which is a type of magnetostrictive material, is periodically altered by rotating the permanent magnets instead of varying the coil current in the traditional GMA. The proposed MDGMA not only achieves continuous adjustment of the output strain, but can also maintain a constant output strain without consuming any power. In addition, the coil-free design releases the new MDGMA from the heat generated by the excitation coil, which allows the MDGMA to work more stably.

This study is to investigate the influence of SHIP2 on palmitic acid stimulated islet β cell and insulin secretion, as well as its role in pI3K/Akt pathway. We defined four groups: control, acid group, acid + NC siRNA group and acid + siRNA transfection group. The control was neither treated by palmitic acid nor transfection. The acid group was subjected to palmitic acid incubation. The acid + NC siRNA group was transiently transfected by NC siRNA, then was stimulated by palmitic acid. The acid + siRNA group was transiently transfected by siRNA, then was stimulated by palmitic acid. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were measured by MTT and flow cytometry. Immunocytochemistry, Western Blot and QPCR were designed to detect the expression of SHIP2, Akt, p-Akt protein and mRNA. Insulin secretion was tested by radioimmunoassay. The apoptosis rate in the acid + siRNA group was non-significantly lower than the acid group and the acid + NC siRNA group (P > 0.05). The expression levels of Akt phosphorylation in the acid + siRNA group was significantly higher than in the acid + NC siRNA group and the acid group (P < 0.05). And under 22.4 mmol/L glucose KRB, insulin secretion in the acid + siRNA group was significantly more than the acid + NC siRNA group and the acid group (P < 0.05). SHIP2 silencing probably stimulates insulin secretion, which may be associated with the enhanced proliferation in the pI3K/Akt pathway.

Many metal oxides with promising electrochemical properties were developed recently. Before those metal oxides realize the use as an anode in lithium ion batteries, their thermal stability at anaerobic environment inside batteries should be clearly understood for safety. In this study, copper oxide nanowires were investigated as an example. Several kinds ofin situexperiment methods includingin situoptical microscopy,in situRaman spectrum, andin situtransmission electron microscopy were adopted to fully investigate their thermal stability at anaerobic environment. Copper oxide nanowires begin to transform as copper(I) oxide at about 250°C and finish at about 400°C. The phase transformation proceeds with a homogeneous nucleation.

We ask whether verbal abuse, threats of violence and physical assault among Canadian youth have the same determinants and whether these determinants are the same for boys and girls. If these are different, the catch-all term “bullying” may mis-specify analysis of what are really different types of behavior Faculty yes

Polysuccinimide(PSI) was synthesized by pyrocondensation polymerization of L-aspartic acid monomer. Polyaspartic acid containing hydroxyl or sulfo were synthesized from PSI. Scale inhibition and dispersion performance of polyaspartic acid (PASP) and its derivatives were studied. The results showed that the scale inhibition rate on calcium carbonate of polyaspartic acid containing sulfo was 10% higher than that of polyaspartic acid containing hydroxyl. The dispersion performance on Fe2O3 was fine when 15mg/L polyaspartic acid containing sulfo or 30mg/L polyaspartic acid containing hydroxyl were added. Comprehensive performance of polyaspartic acid containing sulfo was better than polyaspartic acid derivatives containing hydroxyl.

Two geographically and culturally connected nations, the United States and Canada, have starkly contrasting violent crime rates. Comparable surveys show that American teenagers on average are three times as likely to engage in fights as their Canadian peers and that this cross-country violence gap exists even among children as young as 4-5 years old. Conventional arguments believed to account for this sharp contrast in violence rates prove to have limited explanatory power. The US violence premium remains a puzzle. Using rich information provided by large-scale individual level longitudinal survey data, this study performs a Canada-US comparative analysis with a special focus on the role of maternal work after birth in determining children’s violent anti-social behaviour. The fact that 1/3 of American mothers and only 5% of Canadian mothers start full time work within 3 months after giving birth explains a considerable portion of the US-Canada difference in violence rates both for boys and for girls. Lihui Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Regina. Her primary research areas include labour economics, health economics, applied econometrics, crime economics, and economics of family and children. In particular, she is interested in policy-relevant empirical research on population health and well-being. An earlier version of her research titled "Learning Violence Young" was featured in the Vancouver Sun in June 2008. In 2008, Zhang was awarded a PhD fellowship by the Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network (CLSRN), funded by SSHRC.

Communication is one of the major issue for the epidemiology investigation in the area affected by Wenchuan earthquake. A collaborative mobile system has been designed for the field epidemiology event investigation and disposal for it. To get more stable communication between field and indoor groups, provide more information to field investigators and experts, we designed a star communication topology. Because of the different networks and different terminals, an asymmetric client/server network has been designed for the collaboration between field and indoor workfellows. A prototype system has been implemented and tested in the Wenchuan earthquake stricken area, the results show the system works well and is very useful for field work and collaboration.

This paper addresses a simple and fast algorithm for finding the second critical path in CPM network by safety float. The algorithm is based on the properties of safety float and the relationship between the length of a path and its safety float. The paper argues that the longest path passing through the activity immediately succeeding the critical node with the minimum non-zero safety float is the second critical path, and then the algorithm is presented and proved to be correct. Complexity analysis shows that the algorithm runs in O(m) time, where m is the number of arcs in the network.

Cork is a renewable, biocompatible, environmentally friendly and abundant biological material with microscale cellular structure. Fabrication of filtration membranes for the separation of oil and water by utilizing such natural materials to replace nonnatural membranes is a green method. A cork membrane with a water contact angle greater than 150° and an oil contact angle close to 0° was fabricated by chemically modifying cork membranes with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane. The special wettability was achieved owing to the cellular structure and the surface composition of the cork membrane. Just like nonnatural filtration membranes, natural cork membranes exhibited excellent permeability for oils. After at least 40 cycles of oil-removal processes, the separation efficiency of the membrane was still above 99.1%. Under harsh conditions such as strong acid/alkali, high humidity, and high temperature environments, the wettability and separation efficiency exhibited excellent stability and durability. This method offers an opportunity to the practical applications of the superhydrophobic cork membrane.

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Public Policy in Health Systems Research, University of Regina. viii, 147 p. In the past several decades, a major ideological shift has occurred regarding the relative importance of broad socioeconomic factors as determinants of health over access to conventional health services. During this time, public health experts have continually re-emphasized the need to focus attention further “upstream” of disease, in order to prevent populations from developing poor health. While provincial health systems currently integrate some population and public health programming within the basket of services they offer, upstream health interventions represent only a very small proportion. While many factors can explain this pattern, one explanation is key; upstream health interventions must compete against conventional “downstream” services for a single funding pool, and in this evaluation process, three unique challenges arise. First, there must be a convincing argument that governments should intervene in these private markets to produce a socially optimal outcome. Second, there are unique challenges that arise in measuring the outcomes of upstream interventions, as upstream interventions tend to relate to broader social values that occur over the long-term rather than immediate, quantifiable improvements in health. Third, there have been structural challenges within the system of healthcare administration in Canada. As a result of these three challenges, upstream health interventions are often undervalued and can become subject to great financial instability. This is demonstrated by one upstream program in the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region – the Dr. Paul Schwann Centre Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. This research investigates the policy problem of assessing value in upstream interventions through a case study of this upstream health intervention. Through a three-pronged analysis of program-level data, this thesis explores the question of how evidence in preventative health interventions can be synthesized with greater policy relevance to inform the reallocation of scarce healthcare dollars from downstream illness care interventions to the upstream. To explore these policy-relevant dimensions – effectiveness, client experience, and cost-effectiveness – three methodologies were used: (1) a quantitative analysis of available client health data to assess changes in health status throughout the program’s duration; (2) qualitative interviews with clients and staff to assess perceptions of experience, health impact, and overall value for money in the program; and (3) quantitative assessment of cost-effectiveness using economic evaluation techniques to allow for comparison to other health interventions. By comparing the results of these assessments to other studies from the literature, lessons were drawn regarding the potential health system value of such a program for the regional health system. While various methodological and data-related limitations must be recognized, this study demonstrates the ability to overcome some traditional challenges in the evaluation of upstream health interventions. As one example of this type of evaluation, this research acts as a guiding example for future studies examining health systems value of upstream interventions. By using multiple dimensions of relevance to policy and decision-making, findings of this research suggest that the use of mixed method research and evaluation methodologies may best illuminate the broader social and health-related outcomes of prevention-oriented programs in addition to their quantifiable outcomes. Student yes