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Automated fabric inspection is desirable for quality control of fabric industry. However, it is challenging due to some unpredictable fabric defects which may only occur during the production. Hence, methods aiming at automated fabric inspection are commonly developed in absence of defective samples. This paper proposes a novel automated fabric inspection method based on lattice segmentation and template statistics (LSTS) focusing on the patterned fabric images containing repetitive texture primitives. The proposed method attempts to infer the placement rule of texture primitives and divide the image into none-overlapping lattices as texture primitives which represent the given image by hundreds of lattices instead of millions of pixels. The defects are then efficiently identified by comparing the lattice similarity w. r. t. the benchmarks named template statistics. The template statistics are learnt from defect-free samples through a modular framework in which multiple feature extraction methods like Gabor filters and local binary pattern can be flexibly combined according to their inspection efficiencies. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated in the databases of dot-, box- and star-patterned fabric images. By comparing the resultant and ground-truth images, an overall detection rate of 0.977 is achieved, which is competitive with the state-of-the-arts.

Pluvial floods can exert significant pressure on urban sustainability and human wellbeing during rapid urbanization. Rapid urbanization and exacerbated flooding have stimulated investigations of green land’s role in mitigating urban flooding in China. The newly applied “Sponge City” plan considers the concave green land (CGL) as an effective tool in mitigating pluvial floods. However, its capacity and beneficiaries still need to be elucidated. This paper fills this research gap by integrating urban flood simulation, scenario analysis, and mitigation assessment in central Shanghai, China. It reveals that CGL could not only mitigate direct runoff and inundation, but also reduce population exposure and enhance community resilience. CGL with a depth of 0.10–0.20 m can mitigate direct runoffs by 23.63–98.35% and inundation extents by 26.09–82.41%, resulting in a slide of the exposed urban population by 0.40–1.04 million persons and the exposed elders by 0.04–0.12 million persons. Moreover, the effectiveness of CGL varies spatially implying for a sound spatial planning of CGLs and a potential combination with other flood mitigation measures. These findings could help cities particularly in developing countries to adapt to rising pluvial flooding through urban planning and nature-based flood mitigation measures.

Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM), also called CD166 is a 105-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein of the immunoglobin superfamily. In this study, we studied the association between ALCAM expression and tamoxifen resistance in ER + breast cancer and further investigated how ALCAM is regulated in the cancer cells. IHC staining data showed that the tumor tissues from non-responders (N = 20) generally had significantly stronger ALCAM staining than that from tamoxifen responders (N = 16). In vitro cell assay also confirmed ALCAM upregulation in tamoxifen resistant (TamR) MCF-7 cells than in tamoxifen sensitive (TamS) MCF-7 cells. ALCAM overexpression significantly alleviated 4-Hydroxytestosterone (4-OHT) induced cell viability inhibition and cell apoptosis in TamS MCF-7 cells, while ALCAM knockdown remarkably enhanced 4-OHT induced cell viability inhibition and cell apoptosis in TamR MCF-7 cells. Demethylation reagent treatment significantly restored miR-148a and miR-152 expression in TamR MCF-7 cells. MiR-148a and miR-152 can directly target ALCAM 3′UTR and decrease ALCAM expression. MiR-148a overexpression had similar effect as ALCAM siRNA on enhancing 4-OHT induced cell viability inhibition and cell apoptosis in TamR MCF-7 cells. MiR-152 overexpression alone caused growth inhibition and increased cell apoptosis in TamR MCF-7 cells. It also enhanced the effect of 4-OHT. Simultaneous inhibition of miR-148a and miR-152 significantly protected TamS MCF-7 cells from 4-OHT induced cell viability inhibition and cell apoptosis. Based on these findings, we infer that MiR-148a and miR-152 can sensitize TamR MCF-7 cells to tamoxifen at least via downregulating ALCAM.

The accumulation of excess fat in fish would impair fish health and has been a serious problem in cultured fishes. Adipose tissues are specific tissues for fat deposit in many fish species, therefore the knowledge of the anatomic distribution and total mass of adipose tissues is the basic premise to study the mechanism of fat accumulation in economic fishes. However, this issue has not been well documented. To investigate the morphology of adipose tissues in fishes, a T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique was developed to scan grass carp, turbot, tilapia, pompano and large yellow croaker. Three-dimensional (3-D) images that quantitatively integrated the total volumes of adipose tissues in these fish were constructed for the first time. From 2-D and 3-D MRI images, we identified two patterns of adipose tissue distribution in fish: visceral adipose tissue dominant (grass carp, tilapia, pompano and large yellow croaker) and subcutaneous adipose tissue dominant (turbot). The volumes of adipose tissues assessed by MRI were highly consistent with those obtained by traditional dissection. In a fasting experiment on tilapia, the MRI signal of mesenteric adipose tissues successfully distinguished between fish before and after 28-d starvation. Although our MRI technique has limitations for measuring lipid in organs not specifically dedicated to fat storage, e.g., liver, muscle and intestine, the method will help researchers to gain insights into the distribution, size, volume and shape of the adipose tissues in intact and live fish. This could be a powerful tool in future studies of fish lipid metabolism. Statement of relevance to aquaculture In aquaculture, the accumulation of excess fat in fish, which is mainly sourced from unbalanced diets or feeding strategy, would impair fish health and has been a serious problem in cultured fishes. Adipose tissues are specific tissues for fat deposit in many fishes, therefore the knowledge of the anatomic distribution and total mass of adipose tissues is the basic premise to study the mechanism of fat accumulation in economic fishes. However, this issue has not been well documented. Our present work investigated the distribution and content of adipose tissues in five economic fishes with different feed habits and farming environments by using the MRI technique. Through this work, we described the shape, distribution and mass of adipose tissues in different economic fishes for the first time. We also developed an ideal MRI scanning method for live fish, which largely expends the application of the MRI technique in nutrient physiological study in aquatic animals. Because the adipose tissue has been widely accepted to be closely related to nutrition status and diets in the most of farmed animals, including economic fishes in aquaculture, our present study has close relevance to aquaculture.

Objective To investigate the effect of breastfeeding on the change of visfatin levels in postpartum women. Materials and methods Twenty-nine postpartum women were enrolled into the study. All measurements were completed at the 2 nd and 16 th week postpartum. Women who had been continuously breastfeeding (10 women), those who had never breastfed (9 women) and those who had breastfed for a short period of time but then ceased (10 patients) were enrolled into the study. Serum levels of insulin, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and visfatin were measured. Results In the continuously breastfeeding group, the women at the 16-week point had higher levels of visfatin (14.5 ± 4.1, 17.0 ± 5.1 ng/mL; p = 0.001). In the never breastfed group, the women at the 16-week point had higher levels of visfatin (22.6 ± 3.9, 19.1 ± 3.0 ng/mL; p = 0.005). The visfatin levels in the breastfed but ceased group were found to not be significantly different between the two test points (13.3 ± 2.5, 13.4 ± 2.5 ng/mL; p = 0.815). Regarding the association between serum visfatin and markers of lipid metabolism, significant correlations were found between visfatin and hemoglobin A1c ( r = −0.425, p = 0.022) at the 2-week point and triglycerides ( r = −0.387, p = 0.038) at the 16 th week. Conclusion Continuous breastfeeding for at least 16 weeks could induce increasing visfatin levels. The findings of our study might shed light on the necessity of further exploration of the mechanisms through which lactation may influence the occurrence of diabetes.

Prolactin is the key hormone to stimulate milk synthesis in mammary epithelial cells. It signals through the Jak2–Stat5 pathway to induce the expression of β-casein, a milk protein which is often used as a marker for mammary differentiation. Here we examined the effect of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) on prolactin signaling. Our results show that PDTC downregulates prolactin receptor levels, and inhibits prolactin-induced Stat5 tyrosine phosphorylation and β-casein expression. This is not due to its inhibitory action on NF-κB since application of another NF-κB inhibitor, BAY 11-7082, and overexpression of I-κBα super-repressor do not lead to the same results. Instead, the pro-oxidant activity of PDTC is involved as inclusion of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine restores prolactin signaling. PDTC triggers great extents of activation of ERK and JNK in mammary epithelial cells. These do not cause suppression of prolactin signaling but confer serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1, thereby perturbing insulin signal propagation. As insulin facilitates optimal β-casein expression, blocking insulin signaling by PDTC might pose additional impediment to β-casein expression. Our results thus imply that lactation will be compromised when the cellular redox balance is dysregulated, such as during mastitis.

Summary Background The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence and associated factors of gallstone disease among elderly patients with type 2 diabetes (≥ 60 years) in Kinmen, Taiwan. Methods In 2001, a panel of specialists performed ultrasound sonography screening on 594 elderly type 2 diabetic patients identified in 1991–1993. Of these, 298 (50.2%) patients were examined. Results Fifty-one out of 298 elderly type 2 diabetic patients were diagnosed with gallstone disease. The overall prevalence was 17.1% (men: 14.5%, women: 19.0%), which included the presence of single stone, 9.1% ( n = 27); multiple stones, 4.4% ( n = 13); and cholecystectomy, 3.7% ( n = 11). The significant risk factors of gallstone disease based on multiple logistic regression analysis were body mass index [odds ratio (OR) =1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09–1.37] and alanine transaminase (OR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03–1.10). Conclusion The elderly type 2 diabetic population had a slightly higher prevalence of gallstone disease than the general population but no statistical significance. A higher body mass index and alanine transaminase may increase the risk of developing gallstone disease.

Dicumyl peroxide (DCPO), is produced by cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) process, is utilized as an initiator for polymerization, a prevailing source of free radicals, a hardener, and a linking agent. DCPO has caused several thermal explosion and runaway reaction accidents in reaction and storage zone in Taiwan because of its unstable reactive property. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine thermokinetic parameters including 700 J g –1 of heat of decomposition (Δ H d ), 110 °C of exothermic onset temperature ( T 0 ), 130 kJ mol –1 of activation energy ( E a ), etc., and to analyze the runaway behavior of DCPO in a reaction and storage zone. To evaluate thermal explosion of DCPO with storage equipment, solid thermal explosion (STE) and liquid thermal explosion (LTE) of thermal safety software (TSS) were applied to simulate storage tank under various environmental temperatures ( T e ). T e exceeding the T 0 of DCPO can be discovered as a liquid thermal explosion situation. DCPO was stored under room temperature without sunshine and was prohibited exceeding 67 °C of self-accelerating decomposition temperature (SADT) for a tank (radius = 1 m and height = 2 m). SADT of DCPO in a box (width, length and height = 1 m, respectively) was determined to be 60 °C. The TSS was employed to simulate the fundamental thermal explosion behavior in a large tank or a drum. Results from curve fitting demonstrated that, even at the earlier stage of the reaction in the experiments, ambient temperature could elicit exothermic reactions of DCPO. To curtail the extent of the risk, relevant hazard information is quite significant and must be provided in the manufacturing process.

Objective To compare the concentrations of visfatin in the plasma with those in follicular fluid of women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation and to discover their correlation to the number of oocytes retrieved. Further, to examine whether FSH or hCG affects the expression of visfatin and whether visfatin affects COX-2 expression in cultured granulosa luteal (GL) cells. Design A clinical and in vitro study. Setting University hospital. Patient(s) Women subjected to IVF procedures were enrolled in the study. Intervention(s) Plasma and follicular fluid visfatin levels were analyzed using ELISA. HCG, FSH, PGE2 and visfatin were added to cultured GL cells. Main Outcome Measure(s) Enzyme immunoassay and RT-PCR were performed. Result(s) There was no correlation between follicular fluid and plasma visfatin levels ( r = 0.443). The number of oocytes retrieved was significantly correlated to follicular visfatin levels in multiple linear regression analysis (r = 0.891, r 2 = 0.794). In vitro experiments on GL cells revealed that hCG and PGE 2 considerably increased visfatin mRNA expression. FSH did not affect visfatin mRNA expression. Treatment with visfatin caused an induction of COX-2 mRNA. Conclusions The follicular fluid visfatin concentrations are correlated to the number of oocytes retrieved. Human GL cells produce visfatin, and visfatin synthesis is increased by hCG and PGE2 treatment. Visfatin can induce expression of COX-2 mRNA in GL cells.

In this study, the two-step sol–gel process was used to prepare hydrophobic coating films on the glass substrates. The first step was to add hydrogen chloride into TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) solution, and then the second step was to add ammonia into the above reacted solution. We adopted different amount of hydrogen chloride and ammonia to control the sol–gel reaction and observed the change of the viscosity, gelatin period of the solution and contact angles of the coating films. By this method, we created a surface with roughness and then the hydroxyl groups were terminated by adding trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) to produce a hydrophobic coating layer. The amount of the acid, base and water added in the solution influenced the reaction rate and resulted in the aggregation and condensation of the particles to form rough surfaces. Consequently, the rough surfaces made by aggregation and condensation of the large particles, which were modified by TMCS resulted in higher contact angles (>140°). In this study, a surface with contact angle 150° was obtained.

Nonylphenol (NP) is an environmental hormone commonly found in daily foodstuffs. This study examined maternal and umbilical-cord blood samples to explore prenatal exposure levels to nonylphenol and placental protection against NP exposure. One hundred and seventy-four mixed cord blood samples were collected. Among them, 42 pairs of expectant mothers and their prenatal fetus were matched to compare nonylphenol levels between mothers and fetuses. An additional 30 mother-infant dyads were chosen to give maternal, umbilical arterial and venous blood samples. Plasma samples were enzymatically deconjugated and then cleaned up with solid-phase extraction. After extraction, samples were analyzed with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection. Analytical results identified prenatal exposure to NPs and relatively high prenatal exposure levels in metropolitan areas. The concentrations ranged from undetectable (below 1.82 ng/g plasma) to 211 ng/g plasma. Concentrations of NP in mother-infant dyads showed the NP concentrations in maternal plasma were not definitely higher than that in fetal plasma. Still, 63.6% of NP detectable mother-infant dyads showed a higher concentration in umbilical venous plasma than those in umbilical arterial plasma. Through the repeated exposure from expectant mothers' dietary intake, fetuses could encounter high NP exposure level due to transplacental absorption, partitioning between the maternal and fetal compartments, as well as poor detoxification mechanisms of the developing organism. Some mechanisms may contribute to the reduction of NP levels in fetal blood circulation but those remain unclear.

In this paper we describe fuzzy Hopfield neural network (FHNN) technique to solve the TDMA (time division multiple access) broadcast scheduling problem in wireless sensor networks (WSN). We formulate it as discrete energy minimization problem and map it into Hopfield neural network with the fuzzy c-means strategy to find the TDMA schedule for nodes in a communication network. The broadcast scheduling problem for wireless sensor networks is an NP-complete problem. Each time slot is regarded as a data sample and every node is taken as a cluster. Time slots are adequately distributed to the dedicated node while satisfying the constraints. The aim is to minimize the TDMA cycle length and maximize the node transmissions avoiding both primary and secondary conflicts. The FHNN reduces the processing time and increases the convergence rate for Broadcast Scheduling Problem. Simulation results show that the FHNN improves performance substantially through solving well-known benchmark problems.

Copolymer of acrylamide and 2-[(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride [P(AM-DMC)] is found to be effective to combine anionic dyes with strong aqueous solubility. This work aims mainly at revealing the interaction between anionic dyes and [P(AM-DMC)] by running jar test, spectra analysis and equilibrium dialysis experiments. The results show that P(AM-DMC) effectively decolorizes the tested strong water soluble anionic dyes, such as acidic, reactive and direct dyes, from their aqueous solutions under mild acidic and neutral conditions. Higher cationicity and optimal dose of flocculant P(AM-DMC) have to be used to achieve satisfactory and effective decolorization. Comparison of IR spectra of dye, flocculant P(AM-DMC) and the floc formed indicates chemical interaction occurred between sulfonic groups of dye and quaternary ammonium of flocculant. Plots of r–log C suggest cooperative interaction exists evidently for some dyes tested. Addition of KCl or urea reduces binding extent evidently, which shows the importance of electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction. Therefore the interaction between dyes tested and P(AM-DMC) might be controlled by hydrophobic, cooperative interaction and energetic interaction which includes chemical and electrostatic interactions.

In this paper, the fuzzy Hopfield neural network (FHNN) is proposed for channel assignment in wireless cellular system. Each channel is regarded as a data sample and every cell is taken as a cluster. Channels are adequately distributed to the dedicated cells while satisfying the interference constraints such as co-site constraints, adjacent channel constraints, and co-channel constraints. The goal is to avoid the interference and serve the expected traffic, which is to minimize used spectrum. Moreover, interference prediction is a delicate task; it depends on the details of the traffic assumptions. The FHNN guarantees that the neural network will skip local minima, and in all cases will converge to the optimum arrangement of the channels. Simulation results show that the FHNN can provide an alternative approach of solving this class of channel assignment problems.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) are rare and closely related disorders characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and renal failure. Many risk factors have been reported including infection, cancer, pregnancy, a variety of drugs (e.g. anticancer drugs), and autoimmune diseases. The incidence of TTP-HUS is higher in females than in males, especially during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period. Review of the literature reveals that delayed postpartum hemorrhage is a rare clinical presentation of TTP-HUS. We report a case of TTP-HUS with recurrent delayed postpartum hemorrhage and dismal outcome.

Concrete-filled steel tubes (CFT) have the advantage of high strength, high stiffness and being constructed quickly. However, because the behavior of the beam-to-column connection for CFT is complicated and its design has not been sufficiently verified, their use has been limited. In this paper, a new design of bolted beam-to-column connections for CFT is proposed. A mechanical model is established in order to derive theoretical equations for calculating the stiffness, the yielding shear strength and the ultimate shear strength of the panel zone. Also, a series of cyclic loading experiments have been conducted. The experimental results and theoretical results are very close, which demonstrates that the bolted connections have superior seismic resistance in stiffness, strength, ductility and energy dissipation mechanisms. From the laboratory studies, even though the story angular drift reaches 7% and the plastic angular displacement reaches 5%, the structure still stands. Those results indicate that the seismic resistance exceeds those specified in Taiwan and the US.

The calcium activation of the ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) activity of cardiac actomyosin reconstituted from bovine cardiac myosin and a complex of actin-tropomyosin-troponin extracted from bovine cardiac muscle at 37 degrees C was studied and compared with similar proteins from rabbit fast skeletal muscle. The proteins of the actin complex were identified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Half-maximal activation of the cardiac actomyosin was seen at a calcium concentration of 1.2 +/- 0.002 (S.E. of mean) muM. A hybridized reconstituted actomyosin made with cardiac myosin and the actin-tropomyosin-troponin complex extracted from rabbit skeletal muscle was also activated by calcium but the half-maximal value was shifted to 0.65 +/- 0.02 (S.E. of mean) muM Ca2+. Homologous rabbit skeletal actomyosin showed half-maximal activation at 0.90 +/- 0.01 (S.E. of mean) muM Ca2+ and the value for a hybridized actomyosin made with rabbit skeletal myosin and the actin-complex from cardiac muscle was found at 1.4 +/- 0.03 (S.E. of mean) muM Ca2+ concentration. Kinetic analysis of the Ca2+ activated ATPase activity of reconstituted bovine cardiac actomyosin indicated some degree of cooperativity with respect to calcium. Double reciprocal plots of reconstituted actomyosins made with bovine cardiac actin complex were curvilinear and significantly different than those of reconstituted actomyosins made with the rabbit fast skeletal actin complex. The Ca2+-dependent cooperativity was of a mixed type as determined from Hill plots for homologous reconstituted bovine cardiac and rabbit fast skeletal actomyosin. The results show that cooperative interactions in reconstituted actomyosins were greater when the actin-tropomyosin-troponin complex was derived from cardiac than skeletal muscle.