Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to liver grafts: an improved method to maximize infectivity

A patient motion-related artefact is one of the most important artefacts in single-photon emission tomography (SPET) imaging. This study evaluated the effect of the number and configuration of SPET detectors on motion artefacts. The following acquisition conditions were simulated based on original 360 degrees projection images: (1) single-detector 180 degrees rotation (S180), (2) a dual-detector rectangular (L-shaped) 180 degrees acquisition (D180L), (3) dual-detector cameras mounted opposite each other with 360 degrees acquisition (D360) and (4) triple-detector 360 degrees acquisition (T360). The motion artefacts were introduced using a syringe and a myocardial phantom. Clinical cases with technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile and thallium-201 studies were analysed to confirm the validity of this phantom simulation. The effect of continuous alternate rotation acquisition and summing the projections on the reduction of motion artefacts was investigated in each model. The effect of motion depended on the number and the configuration of the SPET detectors. A 1-pixel (6.4 mm) motion in the S180, D180L and D360 models generated only slight artefacts, and a 2-pixel motion led to an apparent decrease in activity or created hot areas in the myocardium. On the other hand, a T360 rotation created few artefacts even with a 2-pixel motion of the last quarter of the projections. Despite the difference in attenuation with 201Tl and 99mTc, similar artefact patterns were observed with both radionuclides in selected patient model studies. Continuous alternate rotation could reduce artefacts caused by less than a 2-pixel motion. In conclusion, calculating the average of the sum of the projections of triple-detector 360 degrees rotations with alternate rotation is the best method to minimize motion artefacts. This "averaging" effect of motion artefacts is a key to this simulation.     

Hybrid electronic ballast operating the HPS lamp at constant power

A hybrid solid-state ballast that operates high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps at main frequency with constant power through rated life is described. The system utilizes two inductors connected in series and a bidirectional semiconductor switch connected in parallel to one of them. A lamp starting circuit has also been included in the ballast. The static switch, with phase angle control provided by power feedback, actuates on lamp current, compensating variations of the main voltage and increases of lamp arc voltage. The system offers the following: (1) an increase of lamp life and system lumen maintenance; (2) power factor and total harmonic distortion of line current comparable to conventional lag ballast; and (3) operating cost savings, both in terms of energy cost and lamp replacement cost     

Stock prediction: an event-driven approach based on bursty keywords

There are many real applications existing where the decision making process depends on a model that is built by collecting information from different data sources. Let us take the stock market as an example. The decision making process depends on a model which that is influenced by factors such as stock prices, exchange volumes, market indices (e.g. Dow Jones Index), news articles, and government announcements (e.g., the increase of stamp duty). Yet Nevertheless, modeling the stock market is a challenging task because (1) the process related to market states (rise state/drop state) is a stochastic process, which is hard to capture using the deterministic approach, and (2) the market state is invisible but will be influenced by the visible market information, like stock prices and news articles. In this paper, we propose an approach to model the stock market process by using a Non-homogeneous Hidden Markov Model (NHMM). It takes both stock prices and news articles into consideration when it is being computed. A unique feature of our approach is event driven. We identify associated events for a specific stock using a set of bursty features (keywords), which has a significant impact on the stock price changes when building the NHMM. We apply the model to predict the trend of future stock prices and the encouraging results indicate our proposed approach is practically sound and highly effective.     

An improved time-of-flight method for cluster deposition and ion-scattering experiments

A molecular beam apparatus has been developed for deposition and scattering experiments of size-selected clusters. The new setup combines a bimetallic laser ablation cluster source with a collinear time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Mass selection is achieved with a pulsed electrostatic mirror. A significantly improved transmission in combination with a reduction of the kinetic energy distribution of the mass selected clusters has been obtained. Without further modification of the apparatus, surface-induced dissociation of mass selected tin clusters has been investigated, demonstrating the possibility to combine cluster beam deposition and scattering experiments.     

Host–Guest Hybrid Redox Materials Self‐Assembled from Polyoxometalates and Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The development of next‐generation molecular‐electronic, electrocatalytic, and energy‐storage systems depends on the availability of robust materials in which molecular charge‐storage sites and conductive hosts are in intimate contact. It is shown here that electron transfer from single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to polyoxometalate (POM) clusters results in the spontaneous formation of host–guest POM@SWNT redox‐active hybrid materials. The SWNTs can conduct charge to and from the encapsulated guest molecules, allowing electrical access to >90% of the encapsulated redox species. Furthermore, the SWNT hosts provide a physical barrier, protecting the POMs from chemical degradation during charging/discharging and facilitating efficient electron transfer throughout the composite, even in electrolytes that usually destroy POMs.     

The Assembly Specific Force Atlas

Even in hi‐tech industries, physical workload is partly considerable and cannot be avoided because of product and process requirements. Especially in automotive, aviation, and marine industries, the assembly of the product geometry requires force exertions in ergonomically unfavorable conditions. Unfortunately, internationally accepted methods for the evaluation of those types of force exertions are rare. Besides some traditional German methods and EN 1005‐3 hardly any evaluation methods exist. Even those methods refer to force exertions in primarily upright symmetric working postures. To overcome these problems the Assembly Specific Fore Atlas was created during the recent years. From a sample of automotive workers (n = 273), a set of 54 whole‐body forces (6 main force directions while standing, sitting, kneeling; in an upward, bent, and overhead posture) and a set of 38 types of finger‐hand forces (all at maximum voluntary contractions [MVC] levels) were measured in the field. The inputs for the types of force exertions required in practice were sampled from a consortium of major European car and truck companies. In addition, evaluation methods were developed that allow “calculating” maximum recommended force limits from the measured maximum static forces (i.e., MVC) and task and user group relevant parameters. This contribution gives a short overview on the data collected and focuses on the evaluation methods that had been realized. First, qualitative results are presented from the first field tests.     

Sample handling for mass spectrometric proteomic investigations of human urine

Because of its non-invasive sample collection method, human urine is an attractive biological material both for discovering biomarkers and for use in future screening trials for different diseases. Before urine can be used for these applications, standardized protocols for sample handling that optimize protein stability are required. In this explorative study, we examine the influence of different urine collection methods, storage temperatures, storage times, and repetitive freeze-thaw procedures on the protein profiles obtained by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Prospectively collected urine samples from 11 women were collected as either morning or midday specimens. The effects of storage temperature, time to freezing, and freeze-thaw cycles were assessed by calculating the number, intensity, and reproducibility of peaks visualized by SELDI-TOF-MS. On the CM10 array, 122 peaks were detected and 28 peaks were found to be significantly different between urine types, storage temperature and time to freezing. On the IMAC-Cu array, 65 peaks were detected and 1 peak was found to be significantly different according to time to freezing. No significant differences were demonstrated for freeze-thaw cycles. Optimal handling and storage conditions are necessary in clinical urine proteomic investigations. Collection of urine with a single and consistently performed protocol is needed to reduce analytical bias. Collecting only one urine type, which is stored for a limited period at 4°C until freezing at -80°C prior to analysis will provide the most stable profiles.     

Query Based Intelligent Web Interaction with Real World Knowledge

This paper describes an integrated system based on open-domain and domain-specific knowledge for the purpose of providing query-based intelligent web interaction. It is understood that general purpose conversational agents are not able to answer questions on specific domain subject. On the other hand, domain specific systems lack the flexibility to handle common sense questions. To overcome the above limitations, this paper proposed an integrated system comprises of an artificial intelligent conversation software robot or chatterbot, called Artificial Intelligence Natural-language Identity (hereafter, AINI), and an Automated Knowledge Extraction Agent (AKEA) for the acquisition of real world knowledge from the Internet. The objective of AKEA is to retrieve real world knowledge or information from trustworthy websites. AINI is the mechanism used to manage the knowledge and to provide appropriate answer to the user. In this paper, we compare the performance of the proposed system against two popular search engines, two question answering systems and two other conversational systems.

End-to-end privacy control in service outsourcing of human intensive processes: A multi-layered Web service integration approach

With the recent adoption of service outsourcing, there have been increasing general demands and concerns for privacy control, in addition to basic requirement of integration. The traditional practice of a bulk transmission of the customers’ information to an external service provider is no longer adequate, especially in the finance and healthcare sectors. From our consultancy experience, application-to-application privacy protection technologies at the middleware layer alone are also inadequate to solve this problem, particularly when human service providers are heavily involved in the outsourced process. Therefore, we propose a layered architecture and a development methodology for enforcing end-to-end privacy control policies of enterprises over the export of personal information. We illustrate how Web services, augmented with updated privacy facilities such as Service Level Agreement (SLA), Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P), and the P3P Preference Exchange Language (APPEL), can provide a suitable interoperation platform for service outsourcing. We further develop a conceptual model and an interaction protocol to send only the required part of a customer’s record at a time. We illustrate our approach for end-to-end privacy control in service outsourcing with a tele-marketing case study and show how the software of the outsourced call center can be integrated effectively with the Web services of a bank to protect privacy.