1,200 research outputs found
Mobile robot exploration in indoor environment using topological structure with invisible barcodes
No full textThis paper addresses the localization and navigation problem in the movement of service robots by using invisible two dimensional barcodes on the floor. Compared with other methods using natural or artificial landmarks, the proposed localization method has great advantages in cost and appearance since the location of the robot is perfectly known using the barcode information after mapping is finished. We also propose a navigation algorithm which uses a topological structure. For the topological information, we define nodes and edges which are suitable for indoor navigation, especially for large area having multiple rooms, many walls, and many static obstacles. The proposed algorithm also has the advantage that errors which occur in each node are mutually independent and can be compensated exactly after some navigation using barcodes. Simulation and experimental results were performed to verify the algorithm in the barcode environment, showing excellent performance results. After mapping, it is also possible to solve the kidnapped robot problem and to generate paths using topological information.X116sciescopuskc
MCM-GINS and MCM-MCM interactions in vivo visualised by bimolecular fluorescence complementation in fission yeast
No full textBackground: Each of the three individual components of the CMG complex (Cdc45, MCM and GINS) is essential for chromosomal DNA replication in eukaryotic cells, both for the initiation of replication at origins and also for normal replication fork progression. The MCM complex is a DNA helicase that most likely functions as the catalytic core of the replicative helicase, unwinding the parental duplex DNA ahead of the moving replication fork, whereas Cdc45 and the GINS complex are believed to act as accessory factors for MCM. Results:To investigate interactions between components of the CMG complex, we have used bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe for the first time, to analyse protein-protein interactions between GINS and MCM subunits expressed from their native chromosomal loci. We demonstrate interactions between GINS andMCM in the nuclei of exponentially-growing fission yeast cells and on chromatin in binucleate S-phase cells. In addition we present evidence of MCM-MCM interactions in diploid fission yeast cells. As with GINS-MCM interactions, MCM-MCM interactions also occur on chromatin in S-phase cells. Conclusion: Bimolecular fluorescence complementation can be used in fission yeast to visualise interactions between two of the three components of the CMG complex, offering the prospect that this technique could in the future be used to allow studies on replication protein dynamics in living S. pombe cells.Peer reviewe
Behavior during transition differs for cows diagnosed with claw horn lesions in mid lactation
No full textClaw horn lesions, including sole hemorrhages and sole ulcers, are a major cause of lameness in dairy cattle. These lesions often develop in the weeks around calving and become visible 8 to 12 wk later. The aim was to determine whether cows that are diagnosed with claw horn lesions several weeks after calving behave differently during the calving period when the lesions are thought to first develop. The claws of 26 multiparous Holstein dairy cows were scored for sole hemorrhage severity and presence of sole ulcers 2 wk before calving, 3 wk after calving, and every 4 wk thereafter until 15 wk after calving. Of the 26 cows, 13 cows had no or low lesion scores up to 15 wk and 13 cows had at least 1 new severe lesion or sole ulcer diagnosed between 7 and 15 wk after calving. Behavior (dry matter intake, feeding time and rate, number and size of meals, standing time, number and duration of standing bouts, location of standing, and displacements at the feed bunk) was recorded from 2 wk before calving to 3 wk after calving. Behavior during the 2 wk before calving, first 24h after calving, 1 wk after calving, and 2 to 3 wk after calving was compared between cows with and without lesions in mid lactation. Multivariate regression was used to determine the predictive value of each behavior and combination of behaviors on lesion diagnosis. Cows diagnosed with lesions in mid lactation spent more time standing than cows without lesions during the 2 wk before (832+/-29 vs. 711+/-29 min/d) and 24 h after (935+/-46 vs. 693+/-46 min/d) calving. These differences were driven by an increase in the time spent perching with front feet in the stall (241+/-22 vs. 147+/-22 min/d at 2 wk before calving) and an increase in standing bout duration (101+/-10 vs. 56+/-10 min/bout at 24 h after calving). Compared with cows without lesions, cows with lesions consumed feed at a faster rate (86+/-3 vs. 77+/-3 g/min) during the 2 wk before calving and consumed more feed (17.9+/-0.9 vs. 12.3+/-0.9 kg/d) during the 24 h after calving. The number of displacements at the feeder was not different between groups. These results indicate that a combination of feeding and standing behavior during the transition can serve as early indicators of claw horn lesions in mid lactation
On co-authorship for author disambiguation
No full textAuthor name disambiguation deals with clustering the same-name authors into different individuals. To attack the problem, many studies have employed a variety of disambiguation features such as coauthors, titles of papers/publications, topics of articles, emails/affiliations, etc. Among these, co-authorship is the most easily accessible and influential, since inter-person acquaintances represented by co-authorship could discriminate the identities of authors more clearly than other features. This study attempts to explore the net effects of co-authorship on author clustering in bibliographic data. First, to handle the shortage of explicit coauthors listed in known citations, a web-assisted technique of acquiring implicit coauthors of the target author to be disambiguated is proposed. Then, a coauthor disambiguation hypothesis that the identity of an author can be determined by his/her coauthors is examined and confirmed through a variety of author disambiguation experiments. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.X1174sciescopu
Health and growth of veal calves provided a fatty acid supplement and a dry teat
No full textVeal calves are at a high risk of disease early in life, which can lead to poor growth. Research is needed to determine interventions that can reduce disease and promote the growth of veal calves. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of fatty acid supplementation and the provision of a dry teat on the incidence of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), navel inflammation, and diarrhea, as well as calf growth. Upon arrival to a commercial veal facility (d 0), 240 Holstein bull calves from 2 cohorts were randomly assigned to 4 treatments using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (n = 60/treatment): (1) milk replacer (MR) without fatty acid supplementation and without access to a dry teat (control), (2) MR with fatty acid supplementation (NeoTec5g, Provimi, Brookville, OH) and without access to a dry teat (FAS), (3) MR without fatty acid supplementation and with access to a dry teat (TT), or (4) MR with fatty acid supplementation and with access to a dry teat (FAS+TT). Calves were housed in individual pens from 0 to 9 wk and then paired by treatment at wk 9. Milk replacer was fed twice daily using a step-up program. Fatty acid supplement was added to milk replacer at a feeding rate of 0.5 g/kg of body weight per head per day for the FAS and FAS+TT groups. Health exams were conducted twice weekly for 6 wk to diagnose BRD, navel inflammation, and diarrhea. Body weight, body condition score (BCS), and structural measurements were recorded at wk 0, 5, and 10. Average daily gain (ADG) was calculated for wk 1 to 5, wk 5 to 10, and wk 1 to 10. Health data were analyzed using logistic regression and are reported as relative risk. Body weight, BCS, and structural measurements were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA, and ADG was analyzed using a generalized linear model. There was no effect of FAS, TT, or their interaction on body weight or BCS. There was no effect of FAS on ADG wk 1 to 5, wk 5 to 10, or wk 1 to 10. There was a tendency for TT to decrease ADG from wk 1 to 5 but not from wk 5 to 10 or wk 1 to 10. There was a tendency for the interaction of FAS and TT to decrease ADG for wk 1 to 5 but not for wk 5 to 10 and wk 1 to 10. There was no effect of FAS, TT, or their interaction on the risk of BRD, diarrhea, or navel inflammation. We saw no effect of our interventions on calf health or growth. More research is needed to determine whether other factors, such as failure of passive transfer, poor ventilation, barren housing, and low milk allowance in the first few weeks after arrival, may have affected the efficacy of our interventions
Effects of supplemental vitamins E and C on the immune responses of calves
No full textTwo experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of oral supplementation of vitamin C and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), alone and in combination, on immune responses of calves. In Experiment 1, 18 Holstein newborn female calves were supplemented with 0, 1, and 2 g/d of vitamin C from birth to 6 wk of age. Concentrations of ascorbic acid in blood plasma were significantly higher for supplemented calves than for control calves. No significant differences among treatments occurred in the concentrations of IgG1, IgG2, and titer to keyhole limpet hemocyanin. In Experiment 2, effects of oral supplementation of vitamins E and C on immune responses were studied using 18 Holstein female calves. Concentrations of alpha-tocopherol in blood plasma were significantly higher for supplemented than for control calves. The concentrations increased from birth to wk 1, and then very little change occurred from wk 1 to 6. Differences among treatments in the concentrations of IgG1, IgG2, IgM, and titer to keyhole limpet hemocyanin were not significant; however, concentrations of IgM in calves supplemented with vitamins E and C generally tended to be higher than those of control calves. Antibodies to keyhole limpet hemocyanin were higher at 6 wk than at 4 wk of age.LR: 20031114; PUBM: Print; JID: 2985126R; 0 (Antibodies); 0 (Antigens); 0 (Immunoglobulin G); 0 (Immunoglobulin M); 0 (keyhole-limpet hemocyanin); 1406-18-4 (Vitamin E); 50-81-7 (Ascorbic Acid); 9013-72-3 (Hemocyanin); ppublishSource type: Electronic(1
Randomized clinical trial to investigate the effectiveness of teflubenzuron for treating sea lice on Atlantic salmon
No full textA double-blind, randomized control clinical trial was performed to investigate the effectiveness of teflubenzuron in controlling sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis on farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. A total of 40 sea cages from 3 commercial cage sites in Atlantic Canada were used in this Good Clinical Practice (GCP) trial. The teflubenzuron was administered in the feed at a dosage of 10 mg kg(-1) biomass d(-1) for 7 d. Medicated and control cages were matched by site, cage size, and pre-treatment mean lice counts using cages as the unit of concern. Post-treatment lice counts and staging of developmental stages were performed at 1 and 2 wk after the end of treatment. Chalimus stages in medicated cages were significantly lower than in control cages at 1 wk (79% reduction in mean lice counts, p < 0.001), and at 2 wk (53% reduction, p < 0.001). Mobile (pre-adult and adult) stages were also significantly reduced in medicated cages at 1 wk (69% reduction, p < 0.01), and at 2 wk (40% reduction, p < 0.01) post-treatment, respectively. Teflubenzuron was proven effective for reducing lice burdens on salmon despite the low parasite levels experienced during the trial and the recruitment of lice from the untreated cages. The use of cage as the unit of concern was an important design component of this trial.LR: 20061115; PUBM: Print; JID: 8807037; 0 (Benzamides); 70288-86-7 (Ivermectin); 83121-18-0 (teflubenzuron); ppublishSource type: Electronic(1
Discrete physiological effects of beetroot juice and potassium nitrate supplementation following 4-wk sprint interval training
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Physiological Society via the DOI in this record.The physiological and exercise performance adaptations to sprint interval training (SIT) may be modified by dietary nitrate (NO3) supplementation. However, it is possible that different types of NO3 supplementation evoke divergent physiological and performance adaptations to SIT. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 4-wk SIT with and without concurrent dietary NO3 supplementation administered as either NO3-rich beetroot juice (BR) or potassium NO3 (KNO3). Thirty recreationally active subjects completed a battery of exercise tests before and after a 4-wk intervention in which they were allocated to one of three groups: 1) SIT undertaken without dietary NO3 supplementation (SIT); 2) SIT accompanied by concurrent BR supplementation (SIT BR); or 3) SIT accompanied by concurrent KNO3 supplementation (SIT KNO3). During severe-intensity exercise, V O2peak and time to task failure were improved to a greater extent with SIT +BR than SIT and SIT KNO3 (P 0.05). There was also a greater reduction in the accumulation of muscle lactate at 3 min of severe-intensity exercise in SIT BR compared with SIT KNO3 (P <0.05). Plasma NO2 concentration fell to a greater extent during severe-intensity exercise in SIT BR compared with SIT and SIT KNO3 (P <0.05). There were no differences between groups in the reduction in the muscle phosphocreatine recovery time constant from pre- to postintervention (P <0.05). These findings indicate that 4-wk SIT with concurrent BR supplementation results in greater exercise capacity adaptations compared with SIT alone and SIT with concurrent KNO3 supplementation. This may be the result of greater NO-mediated signaling in SIT +BR compared with SIT+ KNO3. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We compared the influence of different forms of dietary nitrate supplementation on the physiological and performance adaptations to sprint interval training (SIT). Compared with SIT alone, supplementation with nitrate-rich beetroot juice, but not potassium NO3, enhanced some physiological adaptations to training
Blueberry diets delay the onset of hypertension and reduce insulin resistance in spontaneously hypertensive stroke prone rats
No full textHypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of disability and death in North America. Thus, strategies (e.g. diet modification, drugs) to manage hypertension are essential. Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) are rich in polyphenolic antioxidants which are beneficial to stroke, and may have vasorelaxation effects. We fed spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats (SHrSP) and control rats (CON) either control diet or a diet containing 3% freeze-dried blueberry extract for 8 wks, to determine effects of blueberry diets on systolic blood pressure (BP). BP increased in both SHrSP groups over 8 wks. However BP in SHrSP on control diets was significantly higher than in CON by wk 4 (p=0.016), while BP in SHrSP consuming blueberries was not significantly elevated relative to CON until wk 7 (p=0.001). Maximum BP was 216 ± 11 mmHg (wk 7), and 178 ± 15 mmHg (wk 8) in SHrSP consuming control and blueberry diets respectively. At wk 6, BP of SHrSP on blueberry diet was 30% lower (p=0.002) than in SHrSP on control diet. In a separate group of SHrSP fed blueberries for 6 wks, a 48% lower glucose/insulin ratio was seen compared to rats on control diet (P=0.08, n=3). These results indicate that a 3% blueberry diet is capable of delaying the onset and reducing the magnitude of hypertension, and may reduce insulin resistance in SHrSP
Development of antibody-based c-Met inhibitors for targeted cancer therapy
No full textDongheon Lee, Eun-Sil Sung, Jin-Hyung Ahn, Sungwon An, Jiwon Huh, Weon-Kyoo You Hanwha Chemical R&D Center, Biologics Business Unit, Daejeon, Republic of Korea Abstract: Signaling pathways mediated by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their ligands play important roles in the development and progression of human cancers, which makes RTK-mediated signaling pathways promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of cancer. Compared with small-molecule compounds, antibody-based therapeutics can more specifically recognize and bind to ligands and RTKs. Several antibody inhibitors of RTK-mediated signaling pathways, such as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor receptor or vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, have been developed and are widely used to treat cancer patients. However, since the therapeutic options are still limited in terms of therapeutic efficacy and types of cancers that can be treated, efforts are being made to identify and evaluate novel RTK-mediated signaling pathways as targets for more efficacious cancer treatment. The hepatocyte growth factor/c-Met signaling pathway has come into the spotlight as a promising target for development of potent cancer therapeutic agents. Multiple antibody-based therapeutics targeting hepatocyte growth factor or c-Met are currently in preclinical or clinical development. This review focuses on the development of inhibitors of the hepatocyte growth factor/c-Met signaling pathway for cancer treatment, including critical issues in clinical development and future perspectives for antibody-based therapeutics. Keywords: hepatocyte growth factor, ligands, receptor tyrosine kinase, signaling pathway, therapeutic agen
- …
