Nonsmooth nonnegative matrix factorization (nsNMF)

We propose a novel nonnegative matrix factorization model that aims at finding localized, part-based, representations of nonnegative multivariate data items. Unlike the classical nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) technique, this new model, denoted "nonsmooth nonnegative matrix factorization" (nsNMF), corresponds to the optimization of an unambiguous cost function designed to explicitly represent sparseness, in the form of nonsmoothness, which is controlled by a single parameter. In general, this method produces a set of basis and encoding vectors that are not only capable of representing the original data, but they also extract highly focalized patterns, which generally lend themselves to improved interpretability. The properties of this new method are illustrated with several data sets. Comparisons to previously published methods show that the new nsNMF method has some advantages in keeping faithfulness to the data in the achieving a high degree of sparseness for both the estimated basis and the encoding vectors and in better interpretability of the factors.     

Placement of endosteal implants combined with chin bone onlay graft for dental reconstruction in patients with grafted alveolar clefts

CONTEXT: Physical activity and fitness are believed to reduce premature mortality, but whether genetic factors modify this effect is not known. OBJECTIVE: To investigate leisure physical activity and mortality with respect to familial aggregation of health habits during childhood and factors that may enable some individuals to achieve higher levels of fitness. DESIGN: Prospective twin cohort study. SETTING: Finland. SUBJECTS: In 1975, at baseline, 7925 healthy men and 7977 healthy women of the Finnish Twin Cohort aged 25 to 64 years who responded to a questionnaire on physical activity habits and known predictors of mortality. Those who reported exercising at least 6 times per month with an intensity corresponding to at least vigorous walking for a mean duration of 30 minutes were classified as conditioning exercisers, those who reported no leisure physical activity were classified as sedentary, and other subjects were classified as occasional exercisers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All-cause mortality and discordant deaths among same-sex twin pairs from 1977 through 1994. RESULTS: Among the entire cohort, 1253 subjects died. The hazard ratio for death adjusted for age and sex was 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.62-0.81) in occasional exercisers and 0.57 (95% CI, 0.45-0.74) in conditioning exercisers, compared with those who were sedentary (Pfor trend <.001). Among the twin pairs who were healthy at baseline and discordant for death (n=434), the odds ratio for death was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.46-0.94) in occasional exercisers and 0.44 (95% CI, 0.23-0.83) in conditioning exercisers compared with those who were sedentary (P for trend, .005). The beneficial effect of physical activity remained after controlling for other predictors of mortality. CONCLUSION: Leisure-time physical activity is associated with reduced mortality, even after genetic and other familial factors are taken into account.     

Experiments and Predictions of Soil Desaturation by Air-Injection Technique and the Implications Mediated by Multiphase Flow Simulation

Measures preventing an earthquake-induced soil liquefaction are of significant importance to mitigate the liquefaction hazards. An air-injection technique may be a simple, inexpensive method - this leads the saturated soils to the desaturated by injecting pressurized air, resulting in a higher liquefaction strength and lower susceptibility. The objective of this study is to investigate the evolution of desaturation process during air injection into saturated soil deposits and verify the validity of a multiphase flow simulator if it is capable of being applied for predicting the process as well as the distribution of degree of saturation after the air injection ceased. In this study simplified model tests that simulate the air injection into saturated soils using air-injection probes, are conducted using two different sizes of soil containers. The experiments using the small container are aimed to examine the nominal rates and magnitudes of the soil desaturation driven by air injection, whilst those with the large container are performed to obtain not only the rates and magnitudes but also the distributions of the desaturated zones within the soil. The results obtained indicate, although clearly depending on the physical properties of targeted soils, that the evolution of desaturation is strongly controlled by the air pressures injected and the soil permeabilities. Numerical analyses are also conducted using a multiphase flow simulator to describe the evolution of the soil desaturation, and to examine the applicability of the model as a prediction tool enabling an evolution of desaturation in situ to be followed with time and space. Predictions show a relatively good agreement with the experimental measurements regarding the rates, magnitudes, and distribution of desaturation specifically for the small-container experiments although predictions of desaturated domain slightly overestimate the measurements for the large-container experiments. Thus, this study indicates that the numerical model described is applicable to field problems when the soil properties in terms of flow transport are well-constrained.     

惯性冲击式运动原理的理论分析与仿真

利用拉格朗日方程建立基于惯性冲击式驱动原理的微小型机器人的动力学模型，对该模型进行求解与仿真；利用有限元分析方法对机器人机构连行模态分析与瞬态动力学分析。两种分析方法都考虑了双压电膜机构与电场的耦合关系，以及机器人的支撑与管壁之间的接触摩擦。通过对两种方法的分析结果对比，验证了惯性冲击式运动原理的正确性，以及该原理用于管内移动微小型机器人驱动是可行的。     

Enhanced Development of Azoxymethane-Induced Colonic Preneoplastic Lesions in Hypertensive Rats

Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. This study investigated the impact of hypertension, a component of metabolic syndrome, on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal carcinogenesis using SHRSP/Izm (SHRSP) non-diabetic/hypertensive rats and SHRSP.Z-Lepr^fa/IzmDmcr (SHRSP-ZF) diabetic/hypertensive rats. Male 6-week-old SHRSP, SHRSP-ZF, and control non-diabetic/normotensive Wister Kyoto/Izm (WKY) rats were given 2 weekly intraperitoneal injections of AOM (20 mg/kg body weight). Two weeks after the last injection of AOM, the SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF rats became hypertensive compared to the control WKY rats. Serum levels of angiotensin-II, the active product of the renin-angiotensin system, were elevated in both SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF rats, but only the SHRSP-ZF rats developed insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hyperleptinemia and exhibited an increase in adipose tissue. The development of AOM-induced colonic preneoplastic lesions and aberrant crypts foci, was significantly accelerated in both SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF hypertensive rats, compared to WKY normotensive rats. Furthermore, induction of oxidative stress and exacerbation of inflammation were observed in the colonic mucosa and systemically in SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF rats. Our findings suggest that hypertension plays a role in the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis by inducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which might be associated with activation of the renin-angiotensin system.     

Off/on Switching of Electric Current as a Strategy for One-Pot Synthesis of Bromoarylpyridines by Cross-Coupling/ C−H Bromination

An “OFF/ON” electric current switching protocol was developed as a new strategy for one-pot organic synthesis. Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of 2-bromopyridines with arylboronic acids in an electrochemical cell was performed without applying an electric current, and subsequently, the Pd-catalyzed electrochemical C−H bromination was conducted using the already-present Pd catalyst to obtain 2-(2-bromoaryl)pyridines as products. The one-pot synthesis of bromoarenes can also be achieved without adding an external Br source in the second step. Furthermore, an OFF/ON/OFF two-times switching protocol also realized the formation of an N-containing teraryl derivative.     

YES1 as a Therapeutic Target for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer after Trastuzumab and Trastuzumab-Emtansine (T-DM1) Resistance Development

Trastuzumab-emtansine (T-DM1) is a therapeutic agent molecularly targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC), and it is especially effective for MBC with resistance to trastuzumab. Although several reports have described T-DM1 resistance, few have examined the mechanism underlying T-DM1 resistance after the development of acquired resistance to trastuzumab. We previously reported that YES1, a member of the Src family, plays an important role in acquired resistance to trastuzumab in HER2-amplified breast cancer cells. We newly established a trastuzumab/T-DM1-dual-resistant cell line and analyzed the resistance mechanisms in this cell line. At first, the T-DM1 effectively inhibited the YES1-amplified trastuzumab-resistant cell line, but resistance to T-DM1 gradually developed. YES1 amplification was further enhanced after acquired resistance to T-DM1 became apparent, and the knockdown of the YES1 or the administration of the Src inhibitor dasatinib restored sensitivity to T-DM1. Our results indicate that YES1 is also strongly associated with T-DM1 resistance after the development of acquired resistance to trastuzumab, and the continuous inhibition of YES1 is important for overcoming resistance to T-DM1.     

Event-related electric microstates of the brain differ between words with visual and abstract meaning

The present study shows that different neural activity during mental imagery and abstract mentation can be assigned to well-defined steps of the brain's information-processing. During randomized visual presentation of single, imagery-type and abstract-type words, 27 channel event-related potential (ERP) field maps were obtained from 25 subjects (sequence-divided into a first and second group for statistics). The brain field map series showed a sequence of typical map configurations that were quasi-stable for brief time periods (microstates). The microstates were concatenated by rapid map changes. As different map configurations must result from different spatial patterns of neural activity, each microstate represents different active neural networks. Accordingly, microstates are assumed to correspond to discrete steps of information-processing. Comparing microstate topographies (using centroids) between imagery- and abstract-type words, significantly different microstates were found in both subject groups at 286-354 ms where imagery-type words were more right-lateralized than abstract-type words, and at 550-606 ms and 606-666 ms where anterior-posterior differences occurred. We conclude that language-processing consists of several, well-defined steps and that the brain-states incorporating those steps are altered by the stimuli's capacities to generate mental imagery or abstract mentation in a state-dependent manner.