Human gait recognition using localized Grassmann mean representatives with partial least squares regression

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Gait recognition has become popular due to the rising demand for nonintrusive biometrics. At its nascent stage of development, gait recognition faces a number of...     

Crosstalk between Schizophrenia and Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Oxytocinergic Dysfunction

The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in persons with schizophrenia has spurred investigational efforts to study the mechanism beneath its pathophysiology. Early psychosis dysfunction is present across multiple organ systems. On this account, schizophrenia may be a multisystem disorder in which one organ system is predominantly affected and where other organ systems are also concurrently involved. Growing evidence of the overlapping neurobiological profiles of metabolic risk factors and psychiatric symptoms, such as an association with cognitive dysfunction, altered autonomic nervous system regulation, desynchrony in the resting-state default mode network, and shared genetic liability, suggest that metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia are connected via common pathways that are central to schizophrenia pathogenesis, which may be underpinned by oxytocin system dysfunction. Oxytocin, a hormone that involves in the mechanisms of food intake and metabolic homeostasis, may partly explain this piece of the puzzle in the mechanism underlying this association. Given its prosocial and anorexigenic properties, oxytocin has been administered intranasally to investigate its therapeutic potential in schizophrenia and obesity. Although the pathophysiology and mechanisms of oxytocinergic dysfunction in metabolic syndrome and schizophrenia are both complex and it is still too early to draw a conclusion upon, oxytocinergic dysfunction may yield a new mechanistic insight into schizophrenia pathogenesis and treatment.     

Mechanical reinforcement of polyethylene using n‐alkyl group‐functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Effect of alkyl group carbon chain length and density

Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most produced synthetic resins in the world. Functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) is a potential nanoscale filler to realize the next generation strong and multifunctional PE composites. We demonstrate that MWCNTs grafted with short n‐alkyl groups are effective nanofillers for mechanical reinforcement of PE composites. At 1 wt% filler loading, the yield stress and Young's modulus improve significantly up to 54 and 63% compared with neat PE, respectively. Among ductile properties, tensile strength increases up to 30%; ultimate strain is preserved; and toughness increases up to 33%. More important, we show that short n‐alkyl groups can be grafted on MWCNTs much easier than long chain polymers. Further, we find that alkyl groups of C14–C18 chains have the optimum length for reinforcement. The optimum density of grafted alkyl groups is around 0.390–0.423 μmol/mg when the C14 alkyl groups are used. Overall, the results manifest that MWCNTs grafted with n‐alkyl groups with suitable length and density are efficient nanoscale fillers for high‐performance PE composites. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:336–344, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Ethanol dehydration activity on hydrothermally stable LaPxOy catalysts synthesized using CTAB template

Nanocrystalline LaP_xO_y with various starting P to La ratios from 0.5 to 2.0 catalysts were prepared by a sol?Cgel method using cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as template. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized by N₂ physisorption, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of NH₃, solid state ³¹P and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. XRD results indicate the presence of predominantly monazite LaPO₄ with minor amounts of (??3.0 wt%) rhabdophane LaPO₄ phase in the samples with starting P/La ratios of 1.0 and 1.5. NH₃-TPD results show an increasing trend in the total acidity with increase in P/La ratio. These catalysts were tested in the selective ethanol dehydration in the temperature range between 250 and 400?°C. The catalyst activity (??mol/h/m²) is increased with P/La ratio and the catalyst with highest P/La ratio of 2.0 exhibiting the highest ethanol dehydration activity. The ethanol conversion increased with reaction temperature, reaching 100% at 350?°C and remains unchanged at higher temperatures. On the other hand, the ethylene selectivity is also increased up to 350?°C and then decreased with further increase of reaction temperature. At a P/La ratio of 2, the CTAB templated LaP_xO_y catalyst showed higher catalytic activities compared to the LaP_xO_y by hydrothermal method without any template.     

Rational mutagenesis of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase at the calcium binding regions for enhancement of thermostability

Studies related to the engineering of calcium binding sites of CGTase are limited. The calcium binding regions that are known for thermostability function were subjected to site-directed mutagenesis in this study. The starting gene-protein is a variant of CGTase Bacillus sp. G1, reported earlier and denoted as "parent CGTase" herein. Four CGTase variants (S182G, S182E, N132R and N28R) were constructed. The two variants with a mutation at residue 182, located adjacent to the Ca-I site and the active site cleft, possessed an enhanced thermostability characteristic. The activity half-life of variant S182G at 60 °C was increased to 94 min, while the parent CGTase was only 22 min. This improvement may be attributed to the formation of a shorter α-helix and the alleviation of unfavorable steric strains by glycine at the corresponding region. For the variant S182E, an extra ionic interaction at the A/B domain interface increased the half-life to 31 min, yet it reduced CGTase activity. The introduction of an ionic interaction at the Ca-I site via the mutation N132R disrupted CGTase catalytic activity. Conversely, the variant N28R, which has an additional ionic interaction at the Ca-II site, displayed increased cyclization activity. However, thermostability was not affected.     

RB Regulates DNA Double Strand Break Repair Pathway Choice by Mediating CtIP Dependent End Resection

Inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene (RB1) leads to genome instability, and can be detected in retinoblastoma and other cancers. One damaging effect is causing DNA double strand breaks (DSB), which, however, can be repaired by homologous recombination (HR), classical non-homologous end joining (C-NHEJ), and micro-homology mediated end joining (MMEJ). We aimed to study the mechanistic roles of RB in regulating multiple DSB repair pathways. Here we show that HR and C-NHEJ are decreased, but MMEJ is elevated in RB-depleted cells. After inducing DSB by camptothecin, RB co-localizes with CtIP, which regulates DSB end resection. RB depletion leads to less RPA and native BrdU foci, which implies less end resection. In RB-depleted cells, less CtIP foci, and a lack of phosphorylation on CtIP Thr847, are observed. According to the synthetic lethality principle, based on the altered DSB repair pathway choice, after inducing DSBs by camptothecin, RB depleted cells are more sensitive to co-treatment with camptothecin and MMEJ blocker poly-ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor. We propose a model whereby RB can regulate DSB repair pathway choice by mediating the CtIP dependent DNA end resection. The use of PARP1 inhibitor could potentially improve treatment outcomes for RB-deficient cancers.     

Effects of urea fertigation of apple trees on soil pH,exchangeable cations and extractable manganese in a sandy loam soil in New Zealand

Changes in soil pH, exchangeable aluminium (Al), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) and extractable manganese (Mn) were investigated after urea fertigation of a sandy loam soil in an apple orchard in New Zealand. Urea at three rates (0, 25, 50 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 or 0, 16.9, 33.8 g N emitter^–1 yr^–1) was applied in 4 equal fertigations. Soil cores at 4 profile depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–40 and 40–60 cm) directly below and 20 cm from the emitter were sampled approximately 4 weeks after each fertigation and in the following winter. Results obtained showed that the largest changes in soil pH and cations occurred in soils directly below the emitter in the 50 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 treatment where the soil pH decreased by 1.6 pH units at all soil depths. The lowest pH of 4.3 was observed at a depth of 27 cm. Exchangeable Al and extractable Mn levels increased to 11 meq kg^–1 and 78µg g^–1 respectively. Estimated losses of Ca, Mg and K from the upper soil profile depth (0–10 cm) represented 23, 63 and 27% of their respective total exchangeable levels. At lower profile depths (>20 cm), accumulation of displaced K was evident. Variable, and generally non-significant, chemical changes recorded in soils 20 cm from the emitter were attributed to restricted lateral water movement, and therefore urea movement, down the profile.The present study showed that one season of urea fertigation by trickle emitters, applied to a sandy loam, at half the rate conventionally applied to apple orchards (50 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1) resulted in pH and mineral element imbalances which were potentially and sufficiently severe to inhibit tree growth.     

Miscibility of some hydroxyl-containing polymers with poly(acetonyl methacrylate), poly(tetrahydropyranyl-2-methacrylate), and poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate)

Poly(tetrahydropyranyl-2-methacrylate) (PTHPMA) was found to be miscible with Poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPH), Poly(hydroxy ether of bisphenol A) (Phenoxy), and Poly(styrene-co-allyl alcohol) (PSAA). However, Poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate) (PCHMA) is immiscible with all these three hydroxyl-containing polymers. Poly(acetonyl methacrylate) (PACMA) was found to be miscible with PVPH but immiscible with Phenoxy and PSAA. Miscible PTHPMA-Phenoxy blends showed lower critical solution temperature behavior.