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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can affect the nervous system at multiple levels, among which SLE-associated transverse myelitis is an infrequent but potentially severe complication affecting around 1% of SLE population. To assist a timely diagnosis and optimal outcome, the clinical and radiological features, differential diagnosis (particularly with other central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disorders), current therapeutic approach and the prognosis of SLE-associated myelitis are presented based on recent data and progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of laparoscopic surgery on the treatment of patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC). Methods: A comprehensive search of Medline and Cochrane Library was conducted to identify relevant articles. A meta-analysis was subsequently performed. Results: A total of 20 studies including 1217 patients met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate was significant higher in laparoscopic group than open group (48.4% vs. 38.5%; odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-2.19; P = 0.001). Although the scar recurrence rate was significant higher in laparoscopic group than open group (7.1% vs. 4.0%; OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.11-3.96; P = 0.02), the overall recurrence rates between two groups were not significant different (44.8% vs. 42.2%; OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.64-1.14; P = 0.29). In addition, compared with open extended cholecystectomy (EC), laparoscopic EC (LEC) was associated with less intraoperative blood loss, shorter post-operative hospital stays and insignificant less complication rate (10.0% vs. 18.3%; OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.15-1.73; P = 0.28). Conclusion: Laparoscopic simple cholecystectomy does not lead to a worse prognosis when applied on patients with GBC. LEC can be performed in specialised expert centres on elective patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azimuthal P-wave amplitude variation with offset (AVO) offers a method for the characterisation of a naturally fractured system in a reservoir. This information is important for the analysis of fluid flow during production of, for example, oil, petroleum and natural gas. This paper provides a modelling scheme by incorporating the squirt-flow model for the prediction of velocity dispersion and attenuation with azimuthal reflectivity method for the calculation of frequencydependent seismic responses. AzimuthalAVOresponses from a fractured poroelastic sandstone layer encased within shale are investigated based on the proposed method. Azimuthal reflections are a combination of the dynamic information including the contrast in anisotropic properties, anisotropic propagation and attenuation within the layer, as well as tuning and interferences. Modelling results indicate that seismic responses from the top of the sandstone layer are dominated by reflection coefficients, and show azimuthal variations at far offset which is consistent with conventional azimuthalAVOtheory. Reflections from the base, however, demonstrate complex azimuthal variations due to anisotropic propagation and attenuation of transmission waves within the layer. Tuning and interferences further complicate the azimuthalAVOresponses for thinner layer thickness. The AVO responses of top reflections show no azimuthal variations for lower fluid mobility, while those of base reflections show visible and stable azimuthal variations even at near and moderate offsets for different fluid mobility. Results also reveal that it would be practical to investigate wavetrains reflected from the fractured layers that are regarded as integrated units, especially for thinner layers where reflections from the top and base are indistinguishable. In addition, near-offset stacked amplitudes of the reflected wavetrains show detectable azimuthal variations, which may offer an initial look at fracture orientations before AVO analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Clonorchis sinensis is one of the most important foodborne pathogens in humans, and can cause biliary diseases such as gallstones, cholecystitis, cholangitis, and cholangiocarcinoma. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) as sensors are crucial to initiating both innate and adaptive immune defenses against pathogens. However, little is known about the hepatic expression of TLRs of hosts induced by C. sinensis infection. Methodology: In the present study, the expression and distribution of TLR2 and TLR4 were investigated in a mouse model of clonorchiasis on days 28, 56, 84, and 112 post-infection (PI) using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemically staining, respectively. The levels of cytokines that are mediated by TLR2 and TLR4 were also evaluated using a cytometric bead array. Results: Results showed that the transcripts of TLR2 and TLR4 were upregulated on day 28 PI in C. sinensis-infected mice compared with non-infected ones (p < 0.01). In addition, their proteins were strongly immunohistochemically positive in the cytoplasm and membrane of endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and biliary epithelium cells of C. sinensis-infected mice. The levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) and interferon gamma (IFN-?) were increased with activation of TLR2 and TLR4. Conclusions: The expression of TLR2 and TLR4 is upregulated against C. sinensis infection, which suggests that TLR2 and TLR4 might be involved in immune responses during C. sinensis infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used the seismic physical modelling approach to study the effect of fracture thickness or aperture on P-wave attenuation, using a laboratory scale model of two horizontal layers. The first layer is isotropic while the second layer has six fractured blocks, each consisting of thin penny-shaped chips of 3 mm fixed diameter and same thickness to simulate a set of aligned vertical fractures. The thickness of the chips varies according to the blocks while the fracture density remains the same in each block. 2D reflection data were acquired with the physical model submerged in a water tank in a direction perpendicular to the fracture strikes using the pulse and transmission method. The induced attenuation was estimated from the preprocessed CMP gathers using the QVO method, which is an extension of the classical spectral ratio method of attenuation measurement from seismic data. The results of our analysis show a direct relationship between attenuation and the fracture thickness or aperture. The induced attenuation increases systematically with fracture thickness, implying more scattering of the wave energy in the direction of increasing aperture. This information may be useful to differentiate the effect caused by thin microcracks from that of large open fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the combinations of carbapenem resistance mechanisms in clinical isolates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Chinese hospital. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed the presence of eight clonal types among the 15 ESBL producers. Multilocus sequence typing of two isolates harboured blaIMP-1 identified the clonal strain as ST325. All these genes were found either alone or simultaneously in the strains in the following five different arrangements: ; ; ; ; . Regarding mutation-driven resistance, all, but four of the isolates had a relevant decrease of oprD expression. In addition, 73.3% of the isolates overexpressed mexB, 40% mexD, and 33.3% mexY. A specific combination of overexpressed mexB or mexY and alteration in loop L710 of OprD were significantly associated with meropenem resistance. In conclusion, combination of several mutation-driven mechanisms leading to OprD inactivation and overexpression of efflux systems was the main carbapenem resistance mechanism among the ESBL-producing P. aeruginosa isolates, but acquisition of a transferable resistance determinant such as metallo-β-lactamase could be problematic in clinical settings in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the throughput capacity and transport capacity for both random and arbitrary wireless networks under Gaussian Channel model when all wireless nodes have the same constant transmission power P and the transmission rate is determined by Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR). We consider networks with n wireless nodes $$\{v_1,v_2,\ldots,v_n\}$$ (randomly or arbitrarily) distributed in a square region B with a side-length a. We randomly choose n node as the source nodes of n multicast sessions. For each source node v, we randomly select k points and the closest k nodes to these points as destination nodes of this multicast session. We derive achievable lower bounds and some upper bounds on both throughput capacity and transport capacity for both unicast sessions and multicast sessions. We found that the asymptotic capacity depends on the size a of the deployment region, and it often has three regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing Quality of Service (QoS) is a major challenge in wireless networks. In this paper we propose a distributed call admission control protocol (DCAC) to do both bandwidth and delay guaranteed call admission for multihop wireless mesh backbone networks, by exploiting the multi-channel multi-radio (mc-mr) feature. We propose a novel routing metric for route setup, and present an efficient distributed algorithm for link reservation that satisfies the required bandwidth and reduces the delay by a local scheduling that minimizes one hop delay. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first distributed protocol that embeds mc-mr feature in Time Division Medium Access (TDMA) to do QoS call admission in wireless backbone networks. Extensive simulation studies show that our protocol significantly improves network performance on supporting QoS sessions compared with some widely used protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we study proximity graph structures like Delaunay triangulations based on geometric graphs, i.e. graphs which are subgraphs of the complete geometric graph. Given an arbitrary geometric graph G, we define Voronoi diagrams, Delaunay triangulations, relative neighborhood graphs, Gabriel graphs which are related to the graph structure and then study their complexities when G is a general geometric graph or G is some special graph derived from the application area of wireless networks. Besides being of fundamental interest these structures have applications in topology control for wireless networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensor in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) periodically produces data as it monitors its vicinity. The basic operation in such a network is the systematic gathering (with or without in-network aggregation) and transmitting of sensed data to a base station for further processing. A key challenging question in WSNs is to schedule nodes' activities to reduce energy consumption. In this paper, we focus on designing energy-efficient protocols for low-data-rate WSNs, where sensors consume different energy in different radio states (transmitting, receiving, listening, sleeping, and being idle) and also consume energy for state transition. We use TDMA as the MAC layer protocol and schedule the sensor nodes with consecutive time slots at different radio states while reducing the number of state transitions. We prove that the energy consumption by our scheduling for homogeneous network is at most twice of the optimum and the timespan of our scheduling is at most a constant times of the optimum. The energy consumption by our scheduling for heterogeneous network is at most e(log Rmax—Rmaxtimes of the optimum. We also propose effective algorithms to construct data gathering tree such that the energy consumption and the network throughput is within a constant factor of the optimum. Extensive simulation studies show that our algorithms do considerably reduce energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficient routing and power control techniques in wireless ad hoc networks have drawn considerable research interests recently. In this paper, we address the problem of energy efficient reliable routing for wireless ad hoc networks in the presence of unreliable communication links or devices or lossy wireless link layers by integrating the power control techniques into the energy efficient routing. We consider both the case when the link layer implements a perfect reliability and the case when the reliability is implemented through the transport layer, e.g., TCP. We study the energy efficient unicast and multicast when the links are unreliable. Subsequently, we study how to perform power control (thus, controlling the reliability of each communication link) such that the unicast routings use the least power when the communication links are unreliable, while the power used by multicast is close to optimum. Extensive simulations have been conducted to study the power consumption, the end-to-end delay, and the network throughput of our proposed protocols compared with existing protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract   Orthogonal Variable Spreading Factor (OVSF) CDMA code consists of an infinite number of codewords with variable rates, in contrast to the conventional orthogonal fixed-spreading-factor CDMA code. Thus, it provides a means of supporting of variable rate data service at low hardware cost. However, assigning OVSF-CDMA codes to wireless ad hoc nodes posts a new challenge since not every pair of OVSF-CDMA codewords are orthogonal to each other. In an OVSF-CDMA wireless ad hoc network, a code assignment has to be conflict-free, i.e., two nodes can be assigned the same codeword or two non-orthogonal codewords if and only if their transmission will not interfere with each other. The throughput (resp., bottleneck) of a code assignment is the sum (resp., minimum) of the rates of the assigned codewords. The max-throughput (resp., max-bottleneck) conflict-free code assignment problem seeks a conflict-free code assignment which achieves the maximum throughput (resp., bottleneck). In this paper, we present several efficient methods for conflict-free code assignment in OVSF-CDMA wireless ad hoc networks. Each method is proved to be either a constant-approximation for max-throughput conflict-free code assignment problem, or a constant-approximation for max-bottleneck conflict-free code assignment problem, or constant-approximations for both problems simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consider a wireless sensor network consisting of n wireless sensors randomly distributed in a two-dimensional plane. In this paper, we show that with high probability we can locally find a path for any pair of sensors such that the length of the path is no more than a constant factor of the minimum. By assuming each sensor knows its position, our new routing method decides where to forward the message purely based on the position of current node, its neighbours, and the positions of the source and the target. Our method is based on a novel structure called localized Delaunay triangulation and a geometric routing method that guarantees that the distance travelled by the packets is no more than a small constant factor of the minimum when the Delaunay triangulation of sensor nodes are known. Our experiments show that the delivery rates of existing localized routing protocols are increased when localized Delaunay triangulation is used instead of several previously proposed topologies, and our localized routing protocol based on Delaunay triangulation works well in practice. We also conducted extensive simulations of another localized routing protocol, face routing. The path found by this protocol is also reasonably good compared with previous one although it cannot guarantee a constant approximation on the length of the path travelled theoretically. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a practical approach for updating the velocity of PS converted waves based on the inverse normal-moveout common-image-point gather obtained from prestack Kirchhoff time migration. We have integrated all the steps involved in updating the migration velocity model into an interactive tool and have applied this approach to a real seismic data set from the Alba Field in the North Sea. Based on experience in handling the real data, we discuss various practical aspects of updating the velocity model, including: what kind of initial velocity model should be used; which parameters in the velocity model should be updated; and how to update them. Application of prestack Kirchhoff time migration to the data set using the updated velocity model produces an improved image of the Alba Field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A velocity model updating approach is developed based on moveout analysis of the diffraction curve of PS converted waves in prestack Kirchhoff time migration. The diffraction curve can be expressed as a product of two factors: one factor depending on the PS converted-wave velocity only, and the other factor depending on all parameters. The velocity-dependent factor represents the hyperbolic behaviour of the moveout and the other is a scale factor that represents the non-hyperbolic behaviour of the moveout. This non-hyperbolic behaviour of the moveout can be corrected in prestack Kirchhoff time migration to form an inverse normal-moveout common-image-point gather in which only the hyperbolic moveout is retained. This hyperbolic moveout is the moveout that would be obtained in an isotropic equivalent medium. A hyperbolic velocity is then estimated from this gather by applying hyperbolic moveout analysis. Theoretical analysis shows that for any given initial velocity, the estimated hyperbolic velocity converges by an iterative procedure to the optimal velocity if the velocity ratio is optimal or to a value closer to the optimal velocity if the velocity ratio is not optimal. The velocity ratio ( VP/ VS) has little effect on the estimation of the velocity. Applying this technique to a synthetic seismic data set confirms the theoretical findings. This work provides a practical method to obtain the velocity model for prestack Kirchhoff time migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common-conversion-point binning associated with converted-wave (C-wave) processing complicates the task of parameter estimation, especially in anisotropic media. To overcome this problem, we derive new expressions for converted-wave prestack time migration (PSTM) in anisotropic media and illustrate their applications using both 2D and 3D data examples. The converted-wave kinematic response in inhomogeneous media with vertical transverse isotropy is separated into two parts: the response in horizontally layered vertical transverse isotrophy media and the response from a point-scatterer. The former controls the stacking process and the latter controls the process of PSTM. The C-wave traveltime in horizontally layered vertical transverse isotrophy media is determined by four parameters: the C-wave stacking velocity VC2, the vertical and effective velocity ratios γ0 and γeff, and the C-wave anisotropic parameter χeff. These four parameters are referred to as the C-wave stacking velocity model. In contrast, the C-wave diffraction time from a point-scatterer is determined by five parameters: γ0, VP2, VS2, ηeff and ζeff, where ηeff and ζeff are, respectively, the P- and S-wave anisotropic parameters, and VP2 and VS2 are the corresponding stacking velocities. VP2, VS2, ηeff and ζeff are referred to as the C-wave PSTM velocity model. There is a one-to-one analytical link between the stacking velocity model and the PSTM velocity model. There is also a simple analytical link between the C-wave stacking velocities VC2 and the migration velocity VCmig, which is in turn linked to VP2 and VS2. Based on the above, we have developed an interactive processing scheme to build the stacking and PSTM velocity models and to perform 2D and 3D C-wave anisotropic PSTM. Real data applications show that the PSTM scheme substantially improves the quality of C-wave imaging compared with the dip-moveout scheme, and these improvements have been confirmed by drilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have carried out two seismic physical experiments to acquire wide-azimuth P-wave 3-D seismic data with a scaled down model (1:10 000) and scaled-up frequencies (10 000:1). Our aims are to verify the physical basis of using P-wave attributes for fracture detection, to understand the usage of these attributes and their merits, and to investigate the effects of acquisition geometry and structural variations on these attributes. The base model consists of a fractured layer sandwiched between two isotropic layers (Epoxylite). Inside the fractured layer there is a dome and a fault block for investigating the effects of structural variations. The two experiments were carried out using different acquisition geometries. The first experiment was conducted to maximize the data quality, with an offset-depth ratio of only 0.68 to the bottom of the fracture layer. For comparison, the second experiment was carried out to maximize the anisotropy effects, with the offset-depth ratio to the bottom of the fracture layer raised to 1.34. For each experiment, about 20 km2 of wide-azimuth 3-D data were acquired with a P-wave source. The physical modelling confirms that the P-wave attributes (traveltime, amplitude and velocity) exhibit azimuthal variations diagnostic of fracture-induced anisotropy. For the first experiment with noise-free data, the amplitude from the top of the fracture layer yields the best results that agree with the physical model parameters and free of the acquisition footprint. The results from other attributes (traveltime, velocity, AVO gradient) are either contaminated by the structural imprint, or by the acquisition footprint due to the lack of offset coverage. For the second experiment, despite the interferences from multiples and other coherent noise, the traveltime attributes yield the best results; both the acquisition footprint and the structural imprint are reduced due to the increased offset coverage. However, the results from the amplitudes are affected by the noise and are less reliable. Analysis of the two experiments reveals that the offset-depth ratio to the target is a key parameter for the success of the P-wave techniques. Smaller offset-depth coverage may only be applicable to amplitude attributes with high quality data; whilst large offset coverage makes it possible to use traveltime attributes. A reliable estimation from traveltime attributes requires an offset-depth ratio of 1.0 or more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel localized topology-control algorithm for each wireless node to locally select communication neighbors and adjust its transmission power accordingly such that all nodes together self-form a topology that is energy efficient simultaneously for both unicast and broadcast communications. We theoretically prove that the proposed topology is planar, which meets the requirement of certain localized routing methods to guarantee packet delivery; it is power-efficient for unicast—the energy needed to connect any pair of nodes is within a small constant factor of the minimum; it is also asymptotically optimum for broadcast—the energy consumption for broadcasting data on top of it is asymptotically the best among all structures constructed using only local information; it has a constant bounded logical degree, which will potentially save the cost of updating routing tables if used. We further prove that the expected average physical degree of all nodes is a small constant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first localized topology- control strategy for all nodes to maintain a structure with all these desirable properties. Previously, only a centralized algorithm was reported in [3]. Moreover, by assuming that the node ID and its position can be represented in O(Iog n) bits for a wireless network of n nodes, the total number of messages by our methods is in the range of [5n, 13n], where each message is O(Iog n) bits. Our theoretical results are corroborated in the simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of anisotropic parameter estimation in the near-surface layers for P-wave and converted-wave (C-wave) data. Near-surface data is affected by apparent anisotropy due to a vertical velocity compaction gradient. We have carried out a modelling study, which showed that a velocity gradient introduces apparent anisotropy into an isotropic medium. Thus, parameter estimation will give anomalous values that affect the imaging of the target area. The parameter estimation technique is also influenced by phase reversals with diminishing amplitude, leading to erroneous parameters. In a modelling study using a near-surface model, we have observed phase reversals in near-surface PP reflections. The values of the P-wave anisotropy parameter η estimated from these events are about an order of magnitude larger than the model values. Next, we use C-wave data to estimate the effect of anisotropy (χ) and compute η from these values. These calculated η-values are closer to the model values, and NMO correction with both η-values shows a better correction for the calculated value. Hence, we believe that calculating η from χ gives a better representation of the anisotropy than picked η from the P-wave. Finally, we extract the anisotropy parameters η and χ from real data from the Alba Field in the North Sea. Comparing the results with reference values from a model built according to well-log, VSP and surface data, we find that the parameters show differences of up to an order of magnitude. The η-values calculated from the C-wave anisotropy parameter χ fit the reference values much better and show values of the same order of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a family of structures, namely, κ-localized minimum spanning tree (LMSTκ) for topology control and broadcasting in wireless ad hoc networks. We give an efficient localized method to construct LMSTκ using only O(n) messages under the local-broadcast communication model, i.e., the signal sent by each node will be received by all nodes within the node's transmission range. We also analytically prove that the node degree of the structure LMSTκ is at most 6, LMSTκ is connected and planar and, more importantly, the total edge length of the LMSTk is within a constant factor of that of the minimum spanning tree when κ ≥ 2 (called low weighted hereafter). We then propose another low weighted structure, called Incident MST and RNG Graph (1MRG), that can be locally constructed using at most 13n messages under the local broadcast communication model. Test results are corroborated in the simulation study. We study the performance of our structures in terms of the total power consumption for broadcasting, the maximum node power needed to maintain the network connectivity. We theoretically prove that our structures are asymptotically the best possible for broadcasting among all locally constructed structures. Our simulations show that our new structures outperform previous locally constructed structures in terms of broadcasting and power assignment for connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several localized routing protocols guarantee the delivery of the packets when the underlying network topology is a planar graph. Typically, relative neighborhood graph (RNG) or Gabriel graph (GG) is used as such planar structure. However, it is well-known that the spanning ratios of these two graphs are not bounded by any constant (even for uniform randomly distributed points). Bose et al. [11] recently developed a localized routing protocol that guarantees that the distance traveled by the packets is within a constant factor of the minimum if Delaunay triangulation of all wireless nodes is used, in addition, to guarantee the delivery of the packets. However, it is expensive to construct the Delaunay triangulation in a distributed manner. Given a set of wireless nodes, we model the network as a unit-disk graph (UDG), in which a link uv exists only if the distance uv is at most the maximum transmission range. In this paper, we present a novel localized networking protocol that constructs a planar 2.5-spanner of UDG, called the localized Delaunay triangulation (LDEL), as network topology. It contains all edges that are both in the unit-disk graph and the Delaunay triangulation of all nodes. The total communication cost of our networking protocol is O(n log n) bits, which is within a constant factor of the optimum to construct any structure in a distributed manner. Our experiments show that the delivery rates of some of the existing localized routing protocols are increased when localized Delaunay triangulation is used instead of several previously proposed topologies. Our simulations also show that the traveled distance of the packets is significantly less when the FACE routing algorithm is applied on LDEL, rather than applied on GG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent mobile terminals (or users) of next generation wireless networks are expected to initiate voice over IP (VolP) calls using session set-up protocols like H.323 or SIP (session initiation protocol). To guarantee the service quality of such applications, the call set-up protocol should be robust against network impairments. In this paper, we analyze the performance of the H.323 call set-up procedure over wireless links using a simple call model under two modes of operations, namely, Regular and Fast Connect. The proposed model assumes the presence of a radio link protocol (RLP) and recommends that the VolP packets be transferred without any RLP retransmissions, while H.323 control packets be transferred with RLP retransmissions. Our analytical models and detailed experiments show that the VolP call set-up performance can undergo significant degradation if RLP is not used at all, even for moderately high frame error rates (FERs) in wireless links. On the other hand, a robust radio link layer, such as RLP, can improve the call-set-up delay performance as compared to the existing wireless voice call-set-up delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proposes a geometric spanner for static wireless ad hoc networks that can be constructed efficiently in a localized manner. Connected dominating set; Delaunay triangulation; Localized algorithm.

Chronic infection with liver flukes (such as Clonorchis sinensis) can induce severe biliary injuries, which can cause cholangitis, biliary fibrosis, and even cholangiocarcinoma. The release of extracellular vesicles by C. sinensis (CsEVs) is of importance in the long-distance communication between the hosts and worms. However, the biological effects of EVs from liver fluke on biliary injuries and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly characterized. In the present study, we found that CsEVs induced M1-like activation. In addition, the mice that were administrated with CsEVs showed severe biliary injuries associated with remarkable activation of M1-like macrophages. We further characterized the signatures of miRNAs packaged in CsEVs and identified a miRNA Csi-let-7a-5p, which was highly enriched. Further study showed that Csi-let-7a-5p facilitated the activation of M1-like macrophages by targeting Socs1 and Clec7a; however, CsEVs with silencing Csilet-7a-5p showed a decrease in proinflammatory responses and biliary injuries, which involved in the Socs1- and Clec7a-regulated NF-κB signaling pathway. Our study demonstrates that Csi-let-7a-5p delivered by CsEVs plays a critical role in the activation of M1-like macrophages and contributes to the biliary injuries by targeting the Socs1- and Clec7a-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway, which indicates a mechanism contributing to biliary injuries caused by fluke infection. However, molecules other than Csi-let-7a-5p from CsEVs that may also promote M1-like polarization and exacerbate biliary injuries are not excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract-We study efficient interference-aware joint routing and TDMA link scheduling for a multihop wireless network to maximize its throughput. Efficient link scheduling can greatly reduce the interference effect of close-by transmissions. Unlike the previous studies that often assume a unit disk graph (UDG) model, we assume that different terminals could have different transmission ranges and different interference ranges. In our model, it is also possible that a communication link may not exist due to barriers or is not used by a predetermined routing protocol, while the transmission of a node always result interference to all nonintended receivers within its interference range. Using a mathematical formulation, we develop interference-aware joint routing and synchronized TDMA link schedulings that optimize the networking throughput subject to various constraints. Our linear programming formulation will find a flow routing whose achieved throughput is at least a constant fraction of the optimum, and the achieved fairness is also a constant fraction of the requirement. Then, by assuming known link capacities and link traffic loads, we study link scheduling under the request-to-send and clear-to-send (RTS/CTS) interference model and the protocol interference model (PrIM) with fixed transmission power. For both models, we present both efficient centralized and distributed algorithms that use timeslots within a constant factor of the optimum. We also present efficient distributed algorithms whose performances are still comparable with optimum, but with much less communications. We prove that the timeslots needed by our faster distributed algorithms are only at most O(iniii(logn, Iog ψ)) for RTS/ CTS interference model and PrIM. Our theoretical results are corroborated by extensive simulation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  In this paper, we address the problem of gateway placement for throughput optimization in multi-hop wireless mesh networks. Assume that each mesh node in the mesh network has a traffic demand. Given the number of gateways to be deployed (denoted by k) and the interference model in the network, we study where to place exactly k gateways in the mesh network such that the total throughput is maximized while it also ensures a certain fairness among all mesh nodes. We propose a novel grid-based gateway deployment method using a cross-layer throughput optimization, and prove that the achieved throughput by our method is a constant times of the optimal. Simulation results demonstrate that our method can effectively exploit the available resources and perform much better than random and fixed deployment methods. In addition, the proposed method can also be extended to work with multi-channel and multi-radio mesh networks under different interference models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of seismic data suggests that hydrocarbon deposits are often associated with higher than usual values of attenuation, but this is generally ignored during amplitude-versus-offset (AVO) analysis. The effect can be modelled with equivalent medium theory based on the squirt flow concept, but the excess attenuation is associated with strong velocity dispersion. Consequently, when we study reflections from the interface between such an equivalent medium and an elastic overburden we find that the reflection coefficient varies with frequency. The impact of this variation depends on the AVO behaviour at the interface; class I reflections tend to be shifted to higher frequency while class III reflections have their lower frequencies amplified. We calculate synthetic seismograms for typical models using the reflectivity method for materials with frequency dependent velocities and attenuations, and find that these effects are predicted to be detectable on stacked data. Two field data sets show frequency anomalies similar to those predicted by the analysis, and we suggest that our modelling provides a plausible explanation of the observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backbone has been used extensively in various aspects (e.g., routing, route maintenance, broadcast, scheduling) for wireless ad hoc or sensor networks recently. Previous methods are mostly designed to minimize the size of the backbone. However, in many applications, it is desirable to construct a backbone with small cost when each wireless node has a cost of being in the backbone. In this paper, we first show that previous methods specifically designed to minimize the backbone size may produce a backbone with large cost. Then, an efficient distributed method to construct a weighted backbone with low cost is proposed. We prove that the total cost of the constructed backbone is within a small constant factor of the optimum for homogeneous networks when either the nodes' costs are smooth (i.e., the maximum ratio of costs of adjacent nodes is bounded) or the network maximum node degree is bounded. We also show that, with a small modification, the backbone is efficient for unicast: The total cost (or hop) of the least cost (or hop) path connecting any two nodes using backbone is no more than three (or four) times the least cost (or hop) path in the original communication graph. Our theoretical results are corroborated by our simulation studies. Finally, we discuss several possible ad hoc network applications of our proposed backbone formation algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nodes in wireless ad hoc networks may become inactive or unavailable due to, for example, internal breakdown or being in the sleeping state. The inactive nodes cannot take part in routing/relaying, and thus may affect the connectivity. A wireless ad hoc network containing inactive nodes is then said to be connected, if each inactive node is adjacent to at least one active node and all active nodes form a connected network. This paper is the first installment of our probabilistic study of the connectivity of wireless ad hoc networks containing inactive nodes. We assume that the wireless ad hoc network consists of n nodes which are distributed independently and uniformly in a unit-area disk, and are active (or available) independently with probability p for some constant 0 < p ≤ 1. We show that if all nodes have a maximum transmission radius rn = √(1n n + ϵ)/πrpn for some constant ϵ, then the total number of isolated nodes is asymptotically Poisson with mean e-ϵ, and the total number of isolated active nodes is also asymptotically Poisson with mean pe-ϵ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes two four-dimensional, 3C onshore surveys from New Mexico where the reservoir of interest is a fractured dolomite. Importance of time-lapse seismology for monitoring subsurface pressure changes and fluid movements in producing hydrocarbon reservoirs; Main causes of time-lapse changes.

Background: Excretory-secretory products (ESPs) released by helminths are well-known to regulate T cell responses in the host. However, their direct influence in the differentiation of naïve T cells, and especially B cells, remains largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces ESPs (EgPSC-ESPs) on the differentiation of IL-10-producing B cells (B10), IL-17A-producing B cells (B17) and Th17 cells. Methods: BALB/c mice injected with EgPSC were used to evaluate the in vivo profiles of B10, B17 and Th17 cells. In vitro purified CD19+ B and naïve CD4+ T cells were cultured in the presence of native, heat-inactivated or periodate-treated EgPSC-ESPs, and the differentiation of these cell subsets were compared. Results: In contrast to the control group, infected mice showed higher frequencies of B10, B17 and Th17 cells, and higher levels of IL-10 and IL-17A in the sera. Interestingly, B17 cells were first identified to express CD19+CD1dhigh. In vitro, B cells cultured with native ESPs exhibited a higher percentage of B10 cells but lower percentage of B17 and Th17 cells compared to the PBS group. Moreover, the relative expression of IL-10 and IL-17A mRNA were consistent with the altered frequencies. However, ESPs subjected to heat-inactivation or periodate treatment exhibited an inverse effect on the induction of these cell subsets. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that ESPs released by EgPSC can directly regulate the differentiation of B10, B17 and Th17 cells, which appear to be heat-labile and carbohydrate-dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismic properties of rocks are known to be sensitive to partial liquid or gas saturation, and to aligned fractures. P-wave anisotropy is widely used for fracture characterization and is known to be sensitive to the saturating fluid. However, studies combining the effect of multiphase saturation and aligned fractures are limited even though such conditions are common in the subsurface. An understanding of the effects of partial liquid or gas saturation on P-wave anisotropy could help improve seismic characterization of fractured, gas bearing reservoirs. Using octagonal-shaped synthetic sandstone samples, one containing aligned penny-shaped fractures and the other without fractures, we examined the influence of water saturation on P-wave anisotropy in fractured rocks. In the fractured rock, the saturation related stiffening effect at higher water saturation values is larger in the direction across the fractures than along the fractures. Consequently, the anisotropy parameter 'ε' decreases as a result of this fluid stiffening effect. These effects are frequency dependent as a result of wave-induced fluid flow mechanisms. Our observations can be explained by combining a frequency-dependent fractured rock model and a frequency-dependent partial saturation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which editors discuss various papers within the issued focused on mobile sensing covering several topics including, multisensor architecture, routing algorithm, and data collection protocol meant for wireless sensor networks.

Background: Liver fibrosis is a hallmark of clonorchiasis suffered by millions people in Eastern Asian countries. Recent studies showed that the activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway can potently regulate the hepatic fibrogenesis including Schistosoma spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis-caused liver fibrosis. However, little is known to date about the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and other molecules in TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway which may play an important role in hepatic fibrosis caused by C. sinensis. Methods: A total of 24 mice were individually infected orally with 45 metacercariae, both experimental mice and mocked-infected control mice were anesthetized at 4 week post-infection (wk p.i.), 8 wk p.i. and 16 wk p.i., respectively. For each time-point, the liver and serum from each animal were collected to analyze histological findings and various fibrotic parameters including TGF-β1, TGF-β receptors and down-stream Smads activation, as well as fibrosis markers expression. Results: The results showed that collagen deposition indicated by hydroxyproline content and Masson’s trichrome staining was increased gradually with the development of infection. The expression of collagen type α1 (Col1a) mRNA transcripts was steadily increased during the whole infection. The mRNA levels of Smad2, Smad3 as well as the protein of Smad3 in the liver of C. sinensis-infected mice were increased after 4 wk p.i. (P < 0.05, compared with normal control) whereas the TGF-β1, TGF-β type I receptor (TGFβRI) and TGF-β type II receptor (TGFβRII) mRNA expression in C. sinensis-infected mice were higher than those of normal control mice after 8 wk p.i. (P < 0.05). However, the gene expression of Smad4 and Smad7 were peaked at 4 wk p.i. (P < 0.05), and thereafter dropped to the basal level at 8 wk p.i., and 16 wk p.i., respectively. The concentrations of TGF-β1 in serum in the C. sinensis-infected mice at 8 wk p.i. and 16 wk p.i (P < 0.05) were significantly higher than those in the control mice. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicated for the first time that the activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway might contribute to the synthesis of collagen type I which leads to liver fibrosis caused by C. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractured rocks are known to exhibit seismic anisotropy and shear wave splitting (SWS). SWS is commonly used for fractured rock characterization and has been shown to be sensitive to fluid type. The presence of partial liquid/gas saturation is also known to affect the elastic properties of rocks. The combined effect of both fractures and partial liquid/gas saturation is still unknown. Using synthetic, silica-cemented sandstones with aligned penny-shaped voids, we conducted laboratory ultrasonic experiments to investigate the effect fractures aligned at an oblique angle to wave propagation would have on SWS under partial liquid/gas saturation conditions. The result for the fractured rock shows a saturation dependence which can be explained by combining a fractured rock model and a partial saturation model. At high to full water saturation values, SWS decreases as a result of the fluid bulk modulus effect on the quasi-shear wave. This bulk modulus effect is frequency dependent as a result of wave-induced fluid flow mechanisms, which would in turn lead to frequency dependent SWS. This result suggests the possible use of SWS for discriminating between full liquid saturation and partial liquid/gas saturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver fibrosis is a hallmark of clonorchiasis suffered by millions people in Eastern Asian countries. Recent studies showed that the activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway can potently regulate the hepatic fibrogenesis including Schistosoma spp. and Echinococcus multilocularis-caused liver fibrosis. However, little is known to date about the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and other molecules in TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway which may play an important role in hepatic fibrosis caused by C. sinensis. Methods: A total of 24 mice were individually infected orally with 45 metacercariae, both experimental mice and mocked-infected control mice were anesthetized at 4 week post-infection (wk p.i.), 8 wk p.i. and 16 wk p.i., respectively. For each time-point, the liver and serum from each animal were collected to analyze histological findings and various fibrotic parameters including TGF-β1, TGF-β receptors and down-stream Smads activation, as well as fibrosis markers expression. Results: The results showed that collagen deposition indicated by hydroxyproline content and Masson’s trichrome staining was increased gradually with the development of infection. The expression of collagen type α1 (Col1a) mRNA transcripts was steadily increased during the whole infection. The mRNA levels of Smad2, Smad3 as well as the protein of Smad3 in the liver of C. sinensis-infected mice were increased after 4 wk p.i. (P < 0.05, compared with normal control) whereas the TGF-β1, TGF-β type I receptor (TGFβRI) and TGF-β type II receptor (TGFβRII) mRNA expression in C. sinensis-infected mice were higher than those of normal control mice after 8 wk p.i. (P < 0.05). However, the gene expression of Smad4 and Smad7 were peaked at 4 wk p.i. (P < 0.05), and thereafter dropped to the basal level at 8 wk p.i., and 16 wk p.i., respectively. The concentrations of TGF-β1 in serum in the C. sinensis-infected mice at 8 wk p.i. and 16 wk p.i (P < 0.05) were significantly higher than those in the control mice. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicated for the first time that the activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway might contribute to the synthesis of collagen type I which leads to liver fibrosis caused by C. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty three clinical Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) strains were isolated from blood and sputum specimens from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College in 2009. These strains and the ATCC 49619 standard strain were cultured and suspended in normal saline (at a turbidity of 1.0 McFarland). The production of interleukin (IL) 8, intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM 1) and IL 10 in THP 1 cells following stimulation with the SP suspension was analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The concentrations of IL 8, ICAM 1 and IL 10 from the THP 1 monocytes were greater than those of the blank control following stimulation with the SP suspension. No significant difference was identified in the levels of IL 8, ICAM 1 and IL 10 secretion between THP 1 monocytes stimulated by blood borne SP (bb SP) and sputum borne SP (sb SP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike convectional omnidirectional sensors that always have an omniangle of sensing range, directional sensors may have a limited angle of sensing range due to the technical constraints or cost considerations. A directional sensor network consists of a number of directional sensors, which can switch to several directions to extend their sensing ability to cover all the targets in a given area. Power conservation is still an important issue in such directional sensor networks. In this paper, we address the multiple directional cover sets (MDCS) problem of organizing'the directions of sensors into a group of nondisjoint cover sets to extend the network lifetime. One cover set in which the directions cover all the targets is activated at one time. We prove the MDCS to be NP-complete and propose several algorithms for the MDCS. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the performance of these algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisotropic variations in attenuation are of interest since they can give information on the fracture system and may be more amenable to measurement than absolute attenuation values. We examine methods for detecting changes in relative attenuation with azimuth from VSP data, and validate the techniques on synthetic data. Analysis of a multi-azimuth walkaway VSP data set from a fractured hydrocarbon reservoir indicates that such azimuthal variations in P-wave attenuation are observable. The effects are localized in the reservoir, and analysis allows the prediction of a fracture strike direction, which agrees with geological information. The observed effects can be modelled under reasonable assumptions, which suggests the validity of the link between the anisotropic attenuation and the fracturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method is developed for the determination of nine organophosphorus pesticide residues in cereals and kidney beans by capillary gas chromatography with flame-photometric detection. In this method, dichloromethane is used for clean-up after liquid-liquid extraction. It is shown that good separations are obtained using a fused-silica capillary column (DB-1701) by the optimized temperature program. In the spiked levels of 0.012-0.43 mg/kg, the recoveries are from 83.7% to 107%, with the relative standard deviation between 3.2% and 13% and limits of detection from 8.2 to 15 μg/kg. The method is rapid, sensitive, and practical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Measurements of seismic anisotropy in fractured rock are used at present to deduce information about the fracture orientation and the spatial distribution of fracture intensity. Analysis of the data is based upon equivalent-medium theories that describe the elastic response of a rock containing cracks or fractures in the long-wavelength limit. Conventional models assume frequency independence and cannot distinguish between microcracks and macrofractures. The latter, however, control the fluid flow in many subsurface reservoirs. Therefore, the fracture size is essential information for reservoir engineers. In this study we apply a new equivalent-medium theory that models frequency-dependent anisotropy and is sensitive to the length scale of fractures. The model considers velocity dispersion and attenuation due to a squirt-flow mechanism at two different scales: the grain scale (microcracks and equant matrix porosity) and formation-scale fractures. The theory is first tested and calibrated against published laboratory data. Then we present the analysis and modelling of frequency-dependent shear-wave splitting in multicomponent VSP data from a tight gas reservoir. We invert for fracture density and fracture size from the frequency dependence of the time delay between split shear waves. The derived fracture length matches independent observations from borehole data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]