An increased amount of DNA fragme ntation in the spermatozoa(SDF)is linked to male in fertility.The Sperm Chromati n Structure Assay(SCSA)is widely used for analysis of SDF.However,the current software(SCSASoftR)linke...An increased amount of DNA fragme ntation in the spermatozoa(SDF)is linked to male in fertility.The Sperm Chromati n Structure Assay(SCSA)is widely used for analysis of SDF.However,the current software(SCSASoftR)linked to this assay is licensed and often located within larger diagnostic centers.In this study,we present a protocol for using other types of software than SCSASoftR to determine the SDF index(DFI)with clinical relevance.This protocol is engineered after collect!ng and analyzing 254 samples from fertility patients and sperm donors over a 15-month period.DFI is analyzed using a strict protocol where the spermatozoa are treated with a strong acid(pH 1.2)followed by acridine orange.DFI is determined by a standard flow cytometric software,FACSDiva 6.1.3.Analysis of the outcome of the fertility treatment is included for 137 patients receiving either intrauterine inseminations(IUI)or timed coitus(TC).The results show that the chance of pregnancy decli nes as DFI in creases.We also found that the male DFI affects the chanee of pregnancy independent of the female age.We have shown that a standard flow cytometric software can be used when determi ning a clinical releva nt DFI.These findings are a sign ificant step toward impleme nting the an alysis as a part of the routi ne,in・house diag no sing of the male fertility patient and subseque ntly optimizing the treatme nt course of the couple with reduced human and financial costs.展开更多
Background: The introduction of antiretroviral (ARV) in resource-limited settings has increased life expectancy among non-B HIV-1 infected individuals. We used a validated In-house genotyping assay to characterize non...Background: The introduction of antiretroviral (ARV) in resource-limited settings has increased life expectancy among non-B HIV-1 infected individuals. We used a validated In-house genotyping assay to characterize non-B HIV-1 and to determine drug resistance mutations among treatment-naive patients. Methods: Plasma samples from 105 HIV-1 infected drug-naive adult patients attending a tertiary hospital Jos, Nigeria were subjected to HIV-1 RNA extraction, reverse transcription amplification, and population-based sequencing of the partial pol gene on the ABI 3130xl genetic analyzer. Subtyping and phylogenetic analyses were performed by REGA Subtyping Tool v2.0 and MEGA v5.0 respectively. Drug resistance profiles were evaluated according to IAS-USA 2013 drug resistance mutations list. Result: One hundred samples (95.2%) were successfully genotyped. The distribution of the non-B HIV-1 subtypes were;CRF02_AG-48%, G-41.0%, CRF06_cpx-6.0%, and A-5.0%. Ten percent of the isolates had at least one major drug resistance mutation in the pol gene. The drug-class specific resistance prevalences were 6.0% for NRTIs;M41L-1.0%, K65KR-1.0%, M184IM-1.0%, M184V-2.0%, and T215ADNT-1%, 8.0% for NNRTIs;K103N-2%, 1.0% for K101E, E138A, G190A, P225HP, Y181I, Y188L, Y181C including protease inhibitors’ Q58E (1.0%). Conclusion: HIV-1 was heterogeneously distributed;CRF02_AG and G predominate and some known major mutations associated with NRTIs and NNRTIs were determined. The In-house assay is suitable for both characterization of non-B HIV-1 subtypes and detection of drug resistance at a significant lower cost than available commercial genotyping assays. This finding underscores the need to consider use of low-cost In-house genotyping assay as an alternative in resource-limited settings with non-B HIV-1 epidemic.展开更多
The global market leader and trendsetter in the production of warp knitting and warp preparation machines,KARL MAYER,is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2017,and is marking this milestone by holding a series of spe...The global market leader and trendsetter in the production of warp knitting and warp preparation machines,KARL MAYER,is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2017,and is marking this milestone by holding a series of special events with in-house shows held at its different subsidiaries.展开更多
Facing the threat of market follower encroachment,this paper constructs game theoretical models based on different channel structures and market structures,investigates following manufacturer's encroachment strate...Facing the threat of market follower encroachment,this paper constructs game theoretical models based on different channel structures and market structures,investigates following manufacturer's encroachment strategy and technology strategies,and discusses the impact of following manufacturer's strategy on quality decisions.The results show that encroachment always improves consumer surplus by slashing prices when leading manufacturer adopts in-house R&D(IRD);otherwise,it results in lower consumer surplus with mild competition if leading manufacturer is at a technological disadvantage.Furthermore,the technology strategies of following manufacturer are related to their R&D capabilities.The superior one is outsourcing R&D(ORD)for the manufacturers when their R&D capability is weak,otherwise,IRD is optimal.In a word,the leading manufacturer always prefers IRD under certain conditions,while the following manufacturer always prefers ORD.In addition,encroachment restrains quality innovative motivation under fixed or quality-sensitive R&D costs,but can improve quality level when consumers have a higher reference dependency for quality;meanwhile,the following manufacturer adopting ORD is always beneficial to quality improvement.展开更多
This paper introduces MultiPHydro,an in-house computational solver developed for simulating hydrodynamic and multiphase fluid—body interaction problems,with a specialized focus on multiphase flow dynamics.The solver ...This paper introduces MultiPHydro,an in-house computational solver developed for simulating hydrodynamic and multiphase fluid—body interaction problems,with a specialized focus on multiphase flow dynamics.The solver employs the boundary data immersion method(BDIM)as its core numerical framework for handling fluid—solid interfaces.We briefly outline the governing equations and physical models integrated within MultiPHydro,including weakly-compressible flows,cavitation modeling,and the volume of fluid(VOF)method with piecewise-linear interface reconstruction.The solver’s accuracy and versatility are demonstrated through several numerical benchmarks:single-phase flow past a cylinder shows less than 10%error in vortex shedding frequency and under 4%error in hydrodynamic resistance;cavitating flows around a hydrofoil yield errors below 7%in maximum cavity length;water-entry cases exhibit under 5%error in displacement and velocity;and water-exit simulations predict cavity length within 7.2%deviation.These results confirm the solver’s capability to reliably model complex fluid-body interactions across various regimes.Future developments will focus on refining mathematical models,improving the modeling of phase-interaction mechanisms,and implementing GPU-accelerated parallel algorithms to enhance compatibility with domestically-developed operating systems and deep computing units(DCUs).展开更多
Inherent complexity of plant metabolites necessitates the use of multi-dimensional information to accomplish comprehensive profiling and confirmative identification.A dimension-enhanced strategy,by offline two-dimensi...Inherent complexity of plant metabolites necessitates the use of multi-dimensional information to accomplish comprehensive profiling and confirmative identification.A dimension-enhanced strategy,by offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography/ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-MS)enabling four-dimensional separations(2 D-LC,IM,and MS),is proposed.In combination with in-house database-driven automated peak annotation,this strategy was utilized to characterize ginsenosides simultaneously from white ginseng(WG)and red ginseng(RG).An offline 2 DLC system configuring an Xbridge Amide column and an HSS T3 column showed orthogonality 0.76 in the resolution of ginsenosides.Ginsenoside analysis was performed by data-independent high-definition MSE(HDMSE)in the negative ESI mode on a Vion?IMS-QTOF hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometer,which could better resolve ginsenosides than MSEand directly give the CCS information.An in-house ginsenoside database recording 504 known ginsenosides and 58 reference compounds,was established to assist the identification of ginsenosides.Streamlined workflows,by applying UNIFI?to automatedly annotate the HDMSEdata,were proposed.We could separate and characterize 323 ginsenosides(including 286 from WG and 306 from RG),and 125 thereof may have not been isolated from the Panax genus.The established 2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-HDMSEapproach could also act as a magnifier to probe differentiated components between WG and RG.Compared with conventional approaches,this dimensionenhanced strategy could better resolve coeluting herbal components and more efficiently,more reliably identify the multicomponents,which,we believe,offers more possibilities for the systematic exposure and confirmative identification of plant metabolites.展开更多
AIM： To investigate the immunogenicity of H pylori proteins, to evaluate the production rate of anti H pylori IgG antibodies in relation to time and to demonstrate the fidelity of newly optimized in-house enzymelinke...AIM： To investigate the immunogenicity of H pylori proteins, to evaluate the production rate of anti H pylori IgG antibodies in relation to time and to demonstrate the fidelity of newly optimized in-house enzymelinked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） technique as an alternative for H pylori infection assay. METHODS： In the present study, 100 μg of formalinfixed H pylori whole cell antigens was injected into an experimental animal （New Zealand white female rabbit） intramuscularly on d 0, 16, 27 and 35. The first two doses were injected with adjuvants. On d 0, a serum sample was collected from the rabbit before immunization and this pre-immunized serum was used as a negative control for the whole study. To evaluate the immunogenic responses of the injected antigen, serum samples were collected from the rabbit at regular intervals up to d 42. The sera were analyzed using inhouse ELISA and Western blot techniques.RESULTS： The production of anti Hpylor/IgG antibodies in the rabbit in response to the injected antigen increased almost exponentially up to d 14 and after that it was maintained at the same level until the last day （d 42）. By analyzing the immune profiles of immunized sera, 11 proteins were identified to be immunogenic, among them 2 （approximately 100 kDa and 85 kDa） were most prominent. CONCLUSION： Analysis of the immune responses against pathogenic microorganisms like H py/ori is necessary for the development of various diagnostic and preventive approaches. The results of this experiment reveal that the formalin-fixed H pylori whole cell antigens injected into the rabbit are highly immunogenic. These prominent proteins （approximately 100 kDa and 85 kDa） might have higher immunogenic effects among humans infected with H pylori and some of these immunogenic proteins can be included in diagnostic approaches based on serology and also for vaccine formulation. The in- house ELISA is a promising alternative compared to invasive techniques.展开更多
A series of polyester, cotton, and polyester/cotton blend fabrics were evaluated in a subjective wear. Subjective trial data were correlated with the results of in-house laboratory tests with the regression methods. E...A series of polyester, cotton, and polyester/cotton blend fabrics were evaluated in a subjective wear. Subjective trial data were correlated with the results of in-house laboratory tests with the regression methods. Experimental results indicate that clothing-comfort assessment by human perception provides a sound basis for comparison of apparel garments under combined microclimates and human-activity levels of展开更多
Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is an alternative means of providing high-speed Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and other broadband services to homes and businesses by using the existing medium v...Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is an alternative means of providing high-speed Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and other broadband services to homes and businesses by using the existing medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) power lines. This paper provides a comprehensive understanding about BPL with its implementation prospects. In this context, the existing power grid infrastructures are discussed elaborately. BPL system functionality with its components and its benefits over other access technologies is also pointed out. Implementation scenarios for various deployment options are illustrated here. The different implementation challenges for BPL system, such as the characteristics of power lines, attenuation problem, noise, potential interference with the other radio frequencies are also presented with their remedies. Comparative analysis between several broadband access technologies shows the feasibility of BPL deployments all over the world.展开更多
Software projects generally have to deal with producing and managing large and complex software products. As the functionality of computer operations become more essential and yet more critical, there is a great need ...Software projects generally have to deal with producing and managing large and complex software products. As the functionality of computer operations become more essential and yet more critical, there is a great need for the development of modular software system. Component-Based Software Engineering concerned with composing, selecting and designing components to satisfy a set of requirements while minimizing cost and maximizing reliability of the software system. This paper discusses the fuzzy approach for component selection using “Build-or-Buy” strategy in designing a software structure. We introduce a framework that helps developers to decide whether to buy or build components. In case a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) component is selected then different versions are available for each alternative of a module and only one version will be selected. If a component is an in-house built component, then the alternative of a module is selected. Numerical illustrations are provided to demonstrate the model developed.展开更多
This paper presents a numerical analysis of the atmospheric air transonic flow through de Laval nozzles. By nature, atmospheric air always contains a certain amount of water vapor. The calculations were made using a L...This paper presents a numerical analysis of the atmospheric air transonic flow through de Laval nozzles. By nature, atmospheric air always contains a certain amount of water vapor. The calculations were made using a Laval nozzle with a high expansion rate and a convergent-divergent(CD) "half-nozzle", referred to as a transonic diffuser, with a much slower expansion rate. The calculations were performed using an in-house CFD code. The computational model made it possible to simulate the formation of the liquid phase due to spontaneous condensation of water vapor contained in moist air. The transonic flow calculations also take account of the presence of a normal shock wave in the nozzle supersonic part to analyze the effect of the liquid phase evaporation.展开更多
文摘An increased amount of DNA fragme ntation in the spermatozoa(SDF)is linked to male in fertility.The Sperm Chromati n Structure Assay(SCSA)is widely used for analysis of SDF.However,the current software(SCSASoftR)linked to this assay is licensed and often located within larger diagnostic centers.In this study,we present a protocol for using other types of software than SCSASoftR to determine the SDF index(DFI)with clinical relevance.This protocol is engineered after collect!ng and analyzing 254 samples from fertility patients and sperm donors over a 15-month period.DFI is analyzed using a strict protocol where the spermatozoa are treated with a strong acid(pH 1.2)followed by acridine orange.DFI is determined by a standard flow cytometric software,FACSDiva 6.1.3.Analysis of the outcome of the fertility treatment is included for 137 patients receiving either intrauterine inseminations(IUI)or timed coitus(TC).The results show that the chance of pregnancy decli nes as DFI in creases.We also found that the male DFI affects the chanee of pregnancy independent of the female age.We have shown that a standard flow cytometric software can be used when determi ning a clinical releva nt DFI.These findings are a sign ificant step toward impleme nting the an alysis as a part of the routi ne,in・house diag no sing of the male fertility patient and subseque ntly optimizing the treatme nt course of the couple with reduced human and financial costs.
文摘Background: The introduction of antiretroviral (ARV) in resource-limited settings has increased life expectancy among non-B HIV-1 infected individuals. We used a validated In-house genotyping assay to characterize non-B HIV-1 and to determine drug resistance mutations among treatment-naive patients. Methods: Plasma samples from 105 HIV-1 infected drug-naive adult patients attending a tertiary hospital Jos, Nigeria were subjected to HIV-1 RNA extraction, reverse transcription amplification, and population-based sequencing of the partial pol gene on the ABI 3130xl genetic analyzer. Subtyping and phylogenetic analyses were performed by REGA Subtyping Tool v2.0 and MEGA v5.0 respectively. Drug resistance profiles were evaluated according to IAS-USA 2013 drug resistance mutations list. Result: One hundred samples (95.2%) were successfully genotyped. The distribution of the non-B HIV-1 subtypes were;CRF02_AG-48%, G-41.0%, CRF06_cpx-6.0%, and A-5.0%. Ten percent of the isolates had at least one major drug resistance mutation in the pol gene. The drug-class specific resistance prevalences were 6.0% for NRTIs;M41L-1.0%, K65KR-1.0%, M184IM-1.0%, M184V-2.0%, and T215ADNT-1%, 8.0% for NNRTIs;K103N-2%, 1.0% for K101E, E138A, G190A, P225HP, Y181I, Y188L, Y181C including protease inhibitors’ Q58E (1.0%). Conclusion: HIV-1 was heterogeneously distributed;CRF02_AG and G predominate and some known major mutations associated with NRTIs and NNRTIs were determined. The In-house assay is suitable for both characterization of non-B HIV-1 subtypes and detection of drug resistance at a significant lower cost than available commercial genotyping assays. This finding underscores the need to consider use of low-cost In-house genotyping assay as an alternative in resource-limited settings with non-B HIV-1 epidemic.
文摘The global market leader and trendsetter in the production of warp knitting and warp preparation machines,KARL MAYER,is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2017,and is marking this milestone by holding a series of special events with in-house shows held at its different subsidiaries.
基金The authors would like to express their gratitude to the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their encouraging comments and insightful suggestions,which substantially improved the quality of this paper.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No.71771044.
文摘Facing the threat of market follower encroachment,this paper constructs game theoretical models based on different channel structures and market structures,investigates following manufacturer's encroachment strategy and technology strategies,and discusses the impact of following manufacturer's strategy on quality decisions.The results show that encroachment always improves consumer surplus by slashing prices when leading manufacturer adopts in-house R&D(IRD);otherwise,it results in lower consumer surplus with mild competition if leading manufacturer is at a technological disadvantage.Furthermore,the technology strategies of following manufacturer are related to their R&D capabilities.The superior one is outsourcing R&D(ORD)for the manufacturers when their R&D capability is weak,otherwise,IRD is optimal.In a word,the leading manufacturer always prefers IRD under certain conditions,while the following manufacturer always prefers ORD.In addition,encroachment restrains quality innovative motivation under fixed or quality-sensitive R&D costs,but can improve quality level when consumers have a higher reference dependency for quality;meanwhile,the following manufacturer adopting ORD is always beneficial to quality improvement.
文摘This paper introduces MultiPHydro,an in-house computational solver developed for simulating hydrodynamic and multiphase fluid—body interaction problems,with a specialized focus on multiphase flow dynamics.The solver employs the boundary data immersion method(BDIM)as its core numerical framework for handling fluid—solid interfaces.We briefly outline the governing equations and physical models integrated within MultiPHydro,including weakly-compressible flows,cavitation modeling,and the volume of fluid(VOF)method with piecewise-linear interface reconstruction.The solver’s accuracy and versatility are demonstrated through several numerical benchmarks:single-phase flow past a cylinder shows less than 10%error in vortex shedding frequency and under 4%error in hydrodynamic resistance;cavitating flows around a hydrofoil yield errors below 7%in maximum cavity length;water-entry cases exhibit under 5%error in displacement and velocity;and water-exit simulations predict cavity length within 7.2%deviation.These results confirm the solver’s capability to reliably model complex fluid-body interactions across various regimes.Future developments will focus on refining mathematical models,improving the modeling of phase-interaction mechanisms,and implementing GPU-accelerated parallel algorithms to enhance compatibility with domestically-developed operating systems and deep computing units(DCUs).
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.81872996)the State Key Research and Development Project(Grant No.2017YFC1702104)+1 种基金the State Key Project for the Creation of Major New Drugs(2018ZX09711001-009-010)the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission Research Project(Grant No.2017ZD07)。
文摘Inherent complexity of plant metabolites necessitates the use of multi-dimensional information to accomplish comprehensive profiling and confirmative identification.A dimension-enhanced strategy,by offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography/ion mobility-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-MS)enabling four-dimensional separations(2 D-LC,IM,and MS),is proposed.In combination with in-house database-driven automated peak annotation,this strategy was utilized to characterize ginsenosides simultaneously from white ginseng(WG)and red ginseng(RG).An offline 2 DLC system configuring an Xbridge Amide column and an HSS T3 column showed orthogonality 0.76 in the resolution of ginsenosides.Ginsenoside analysis was performed by data-independent high-definition MSE(HDMSE)in the negative ESI mode on a Vion?IMS-QTOF hybrid high-resolution mass spectrometer,which could better resolve ginsenosides than MSEand directly give the CCS information.An in-house ginsenoside database recording 504 known ginsenosides and 58 reference compounds,was established to assist the identification of ginsenosides.Streamlined workflows,by applying UNIFI?to automatedly annotate the HDMSEdata,were proposed.We could separate and characterize 323 ginsenosides(including 286 from WG and 306 from RG),and 125 thereof may have not been isolated from the Panax genus.The established 2 D-LC/IM-QTOF-HDMSEapproach could also act as a magnifier to probe differentiated components between WG and RG.Compared with conventional approaches,this dimensionenhanced strategy could better resolve coeluting herbal components and more efficiently,more reliably identify the multicomponents,which,we believe,offers more possibilities for the systematic exposure and confirmative identification of plant metabolites.
基金Research Funds of Microbiology Department, Dhaka University
文摘AIM： To investigate the immunogenicity of H pylori proteins, to evaluate the production rate of anti H pylori IgG antibodies in relation to time and to demonstrate the fidelity of newly optimized in-house enzymelinked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） technique as an alternative for H pylori infection assay. METHODS： In the present study, 100 μg of formalinfixed H pylori whole cell antigens was injected into an experimental animal （New Zealand white female rabbit） intramuscularly on d 0, 16, 27 and 35. The first two doses were injected with adjuvants. On d 0, a serum sample was collected from the rabbit before immunization and this pre-immunized serum was used as a negative control for the whole study. To evaluate the immunogenic responses of the injected antigen, serum samples were collected from the rabbit at regular intervals up to d 42. The sera were analyzed using inhouse ELISA and Western blot techniques.RESULTS： The production of anti Hpylor/IgG antibodies in the rabbit in response to the injected antigen increased almost exponentially up to d 14 and after that it was maintained at the same level until the last day （d 42）. By analyzing the immune profiles of immunized sera, 11 proteins were identified to be immunogenic, among them 2 （approximately 100 kDa and 85 kDa） were most prominent. CONCLUSION： Analysis of the immune responses against pathogenic microorganisms like H py/ori is necessary for the development of various diagnostic and preventive approaches. The results of this experiment reveal that the formalin-fixed H pylori whole cell antigens injected into the rabbit are highly immunogenic. These prominent proteins （approximately 100 kDa and 85 kDa） might have higher immunogenic effects among humans infected with H pylori and some of these immunogenic proteins can be included in diagnostic approaches based on serology and also for vaccine formulation. The in- house ELISA is a promising alternative compared to invasive techniques.
文摘A series of polyester, cotton, and polyester/cotton blend fabrics were evaluated in a subjective wear. Subjective trial data were correlated with the results of in-house laboratory tests with the regression methods. Experimental results indicate that clothing-comfort assessment by human perception provides a sound basis for comparison of apparel garments under combined microclimates and human-activity levels of
文摘Broadband over Power Line (BPL) is an alternative means of providing high-speed Internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and other broadband services to homes and businesses by using the existing medium voltage (MV) and low voltage (LV) power lines. This paper provides a comprehensive understanding about BPL with its implementation prospects. In this context, the existing power grid infrastructures are discussed elaborately. BPL system functionality with its components and its benefits over other access technologies is also pointed out. Implementation scenarios for various deployment options are illustrated here. The different implementation challenges for BPL system, such as the characteristics of power lines, attenuation problem, noise, potential interference with the other radio frequencies are also presented with their remedies. Comparative analysis between several broadband access technologies shows the feasibility of BPL deployments all over the world.
文摘Software projects generally have to deal with producing and managing large and complex software products. As the functionality of computer operations become more essential and yet more critical, there is a great need for the development of modular software system. Component-Based Software Engineering concerned with composing, selecting and designing components to satisfy a set of requirements while minimizing cost and maximizing reliability of the software system. This paper discusses the fuzzy approach for component selection using “Build-or-Buy” strategy in designing a software structure. We introduce a framework that helps developers to decide whether to buy or build components. In case a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) component is selected then different versions are available for each alternative of a module and only one version will be selected. If a component is an in-house built component, then the alternative of a module is selected. Numerical illustrations are provided to demonstrate the model developed.
基金supported by the Polish National Science Centre funds within the project with nr.UMO-2014/15/B/ST8/00203
文摘This paper presents a numerical analysis of the atmospheric air transonic flow through de Laval nozzles. By nature, atmospheric air always contains a certain amount of water vapor. The calculations were made using a Laval nozzle with a high expansion rate and a convergent-divergent(CD) "half-nozzle", referred to as a transonic diffuser, with a much slower expansion rate. The calculations were performed using an in-house CFD code. The computational model made it possible to simulate the formation of the liquid phase due to spontaneous condensation of water vapor contained in moist air. The transonic flow calculations also take account of the presence of a normal shock wave in the nozzle supersonic part to analyze the effect of the liquid phase evaporation.
