This study aimed to identify the optimal neural progenitor cell transplantation time for spinal cord injury in rats via the subarachnoid space. Cultured neural progenitor cells from 14-day embryonic rats, constitutive...This study aimed to identify the optimal neural progenitor cell transplantation time for spinal cord injury in rats via the subarachnoid space. Cultured neural progenitor cells from 14-day embryonic rats, constitutively expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein, or media alone, were injected into the subarachnoid space of adult rats at 1 hour (acute stage), 7 days (subacute stage) and 28 days (chronic stage) after contusive spinal cord injury. Results showed that grafted neural progenitor cells migrated and aggregated around the blood vessels of the injured region, and infiltrated the spinal cord parenchyma along the tissue spaces in the acute stage transplantation group. However, this was not observed in subacute and chronic stage transplantation groups. 04- and glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells, representing oligodendrocytes and astrocytes respectively, were detected in the core of the grafted cluster attached to the cauda equina pia surface in the chronic stage transplantation group 8 weeks after transplantation. Both acute and subacute stage transplantation groups were negative for 04 and glial fibrillary acidic protein cells. Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scale score comparisons indicated that rat hind limb locomotor activity showed better recovery after acute stage transplantation than after subacute and chronic transplantation. Our experimental findings suggest that the subarachnoid route could be useful for transplantation of neural progenitor cells at the acute stage of spinal cord injury. Although grafted cells survived only for a short time and did not differentiate into astrocytes or neurons, they were able to reach the parenchyma of the injured spinal cord and improve neurological function in rats. Transplantation efficacy was enhanced at the acute stage in comparison with subacute and chronic stages.展开更多
Based on an available parking space occupancy (APSO) survey conducted in Nanjing, China, an APSO forecasting model is proposed. The APSO survey results indicate that the time series of APSO with different time-secti...Based on an available parking space occupancy (APSO) survey conducted in Nanjing, China, an APSO forecasting model is proposed. The APSO survey results indicate that the time series of APSO with different time-sections are periodical and self-similar, and the fluctuation of the APSO increases with the decrease in time-sections. Taking the short-time change behavior into account, an APSO forecasting model combined wavelet analysis and a weighted Markov chain is presented. In this model, an original APSO time series is first decomposed by wavelet analysis, and the results include low frequency signals representing the basic trends of APSO and several high frequency signals representing disturbances of the APSO. Then different Markov models are used to forecast the changes of low and high frequency signals, respectively. Finally, integrating the predicted results induces the final forecasted APSO. A case study verifies the applicability of the proposed model. The comparisons between measured and forecasted results show that the model is a competent model and its accuracy relies on real-time update of the APSO database.展开更多
A new methodology for multi-step-ahead forecasting was proposed herein which combined the wavelet transform(WT), artificial neural network(ANN) and forecasting strategies based on the changing characteristics of avail...A new methodology for multi-step-ahead forecasting was proposed herein which combined the wavelet transform(WT), artificial neural network(ANN) and forecasting strategies based on the changing characteristics of available parking spaces(APS). First, several APS time series were decomposed and reconstituted by the wavelet transform. Then, using an artificial neural network, the following five strategies for multi-step-ahead time series forecasting were used to forecast the reconstructed time series: recursive strategy, direct strategy, multi-input multi-output(MIMO) strategy, DIRMO strategy(a combination of the direct and MIMO strategies), and newly proposed recursive multi-input multi-output(RECMO) strategy which is a combination of the recursive and MIMO strategies. Finally, integrating the predicted results with the reconstructed time series produced the final forecasted available parking spaces. Three findings appear to be consistently supported by the experimental results. First, applying the wavelet transform to multi-step ahead available parking spaces forecasting can effectively improve the forecasting accuracy. Second, the forecasting resulted from the DIRMO and RECMO strategies is more accurate than that of the other strategies. Finally, the RECMO strategy requires less model training time than the DIRMO strategy and consumes the least amount of training time among five forecasting strategies.展开更多
The techniques to forecast available parking space(APS) are indispensable components for parking guidance systems(PGS). According to the data collected in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the changing characteristics of ...The techniques to forecast available parking space(APS) are indispensable components for parking guidance systems(PGS). According to the data collected in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the changing characteristics of APS were studied. Thereafter, aiming to build up a multi-step APS forecasting model that provides richer information than a conventional one-step model, the largest Lyapunov exponents(largest LEs) method was introduced into PGS. By experimental tests conducted using the same dataset, its prediction performance was compared with traditional wavelet neural network(WNN) method in both one-step and multi-step processes. Based on the results, a new multi-step forecasting model called WNN-LE method was proposed, where WNN, which enjoys a more accurate performance along with a better learning ability in short-term forecasting, was applied in the early forecast steps while the Lyapunov exponent prediction method in the latter steps precisely reflect the chaotic feature in latter forecast period. The MSE of APS forecasting for one hour time period can be reduced from 83.1 to 27.1(in a parking building with 492 berths) by using largest LEs method instead of WNN and further reduced to 19.0 by conducted the new method.展开更多
Extra-nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas (LELC) are uncommon epithelial tumors. A few isolated case reports and series are available in literature involving the larynx, pharynx, salivary gland, lung etc....Extra-nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas (LELC) are uncommon epithelial tumors. A few isolated case reports and series are available in literature involving the larynx, pharynx, salivary gland, lung etc., but involvement in the parapharyngeal space has not yet been reported. We aim to highlight one such case that has a clinical and radiological characteristic of a benign lesion whilst the histopathology reveals an infiltrating neoplasm. The typical clinical aggressiveness of a classical LELC of extra-nasopharyngeal lesion as described in literature is not present in our case. Also seen is an uncommon finding of abnormal branching of left external carotid artery. There is no standard treatment protocol for such a tumor;however, wide excision of this tumor in the parapharyngeal space via trans-cervical, trans-mandibular, trans-palatal approach has shown good and satisfactory tumor control of the primary site so far.展开更多
Non-invasive tracing in vivo can be used to observe the migration and distnbution of grafted stem cells, and can provide experimental evidence for treatment. This study utilized adenovirus-carrying enhanced green fluo...Non-invasive tracing in vivo can be used to observe the migration and distnbution of grafted stem cells, and can provide experimental evidence for treatment. This study utilized adenovirus-carrying enhanced green fluorescent protein (AD5/F35-eGFP) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-Iabeled bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). BMSCs, double-labeled by AD5/F35-eGFP and SPIO, were transplanted into rats with spinal cord injury via the subarachnoid space. MRI tracing results demonstrated that BMSCs migrated to the injured spinal cord over time (T2 hypointensity signals). This result was verified by immunofluorescence. These results indicate that MRI can be utilized to trace in vivo the SPIO-labeled BMSCs after grafting.展开更多
Connecting occupants to the outdoor environment and incorporating biophilic design principles are challenging in extreme Arctic climatic conditions.Existing Arctic housing models do not provide efficient thermal and d...Connecting occupants to the outdoor environment and incorporating biophilic design principles are challenging in extreme Arctic climatic conditions.Existing Arctic housing models do not provide efficient thermal and daylight transitions which are essential for the well-being and cultural needs of their occupants.To address these challenges,this research develops free-running biophilic intermediate spaces,integrated into an existing Arctic housing model.Numerical simulation methods are employed to optimize the primary and secondary architectural design variables for 26 case studies of intermediate spaces.Primary variables include volume,transparency ratio,and orientation.Secondary variables include materials and physical adjacency.Temperature,Daylight Factor/Autonomy,and Energy Use are evaluated as performance indicators.Results reveal that free-running intermediate spaces with 6 meters depth and a transparency ratio above 50%provide efficient indoor–outdoor transitions regarding thermal,visual,and energy performance.Such architectural configurations contribute to an approximately 5%reduction in energy consumption within the housing unit compared to the baseline.Opening side windows prevents the risk of overheating during the summer by reducing the average indoor temperature of intermediate spaces by 7°C but increases the overall energy consumption.As a potential alternative to double-glazing,polycarbonate sheets enable efficient thermal performance by increasing the average indoor temperature of intermediate spaces by approximately 15°C during the cold Arctic seasons.Using polycarbonate sheets results in a 16.6%reduction in energy consumption compared to using double-glazing material in intermediate space,and a 26%reduction from the baseline.Research outcomes contribute to efficient indoor–outdoor connections and energy efficiency in Arctic housing.展开更多
基金supported by the People’s Liberation Army Fund for Special Projects of Medical Sciences, No. 06G114
文摘This study aimed to identify the optimal neural progenitor cell transplantation time for spinal cord injury in rats via the subarachnoid space. Cultured neural progenitor cells from 14-day embryonic rats, constitutively expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein, or media alone, were injected into the subarachnoid space of adult rats at 1 hour (acute stage), 7 days (subacute stage) and 28 days (chronic stage) after contusive spinal cord injury. Results showed that grafted neural progenitor cells migrated and aggregated around the blood vessels of the injured region, and infiltrated the spinal cord parenchyma along the tissue spaces in the acute stage transplantation group. However, this was not observed in subacute and chronic stage transplantation groups. 04- and glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells, representing oligodendrocytes and astrocytes respectively, were detected in the core of the grafted cluster attached to the cauda equina pia surface in the chronic stage transplantation group 8 weeks after transplantation. Both acute and subacute stage transplantation groups were negative for 04 and glial fibrillary acidic protein cells. Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan scale score comparisons indicated that rat hind limb locomotor activity showed better recovery after acute stage transplantation than after subacute and chronic transplantation. Our experimental findings suggest that the subarachnoid route could be useful for transplantation of neural progenitor cells at the acute stage of spinal cord injury. Although grafted cells survived only for a short time and did not differentiate into astrocytes or neurons, they were able to reach the parenchyma of the injured spinal cord and improve neurological function in rats. Transplantation efficacy was enhanced at the acute stage in comparison with subacute and chronic stages.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No50738001)the National Basic Research Program of China (973Program) (No2006CB705501)
文摘Based on an available parking space occupancy (APSO) survey conducted in Nanjing, China, an APSO forecasting model is proposed. The APSO survey results indicate that the time series of APSO with different time-sections are periodical and self-similar, and the fluctuation of the APSO increases with the decrease in time-sections. Taking the short-time change behavior into account, an APSO forecasting model combined wavelet analysis and a weighted Markov chain is presented. In this model, an original APSO time series is first decomposed by wavelet analysis, and the results include low frequency signals representing the basic trends of APSO and several high frequency signals representing disturbances of the APSO. Then different Markov models are used to forecast the changes of low and high frequency signals, respectively. Finally, integrating the predicted results induces the final forecasted APSO. A case study verifies the applicability of the proposed model. The comparisons between measured and forecasted results show that the model is a competent model and its accuracy relies on real-time update of the APSO database.
基金Project(51561135003)supported by the International Cooperation and Exchange of the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(51338003)supported by the Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘A new methodology for multi-step-ahead forecasting was proposed herein which combined the wavelet transform(WT), artificial neural network(ANN) and forecasting strategies based on the changing characteristics of available parking spaces(APS). First, several APS time series were decomposed and reconstituted by the wavelet transform. Then, using an artificial neural network, the following five strategies for multi-step-ahead time series forecasting were used to forecast the reconstructed time series: recursive strategy, direct strategy, multi-input multi-output(MIMO) strategy, DIRMO strategy(a combination of the direct and MIMO strategies), and newly proposed recursive multi-input multi-output(RECMO) strategy which is a combination of the recursive and MIMO strategies. Finally, integrating the predicted results with the reconstructed time series produced the final forecasted available parking spaces. Three findings appear to be consistently supported by the experimental results. First, applying the wavelet transform to multi-step ahead available parking spaces forecasting can effectively improve the forecasting accuracy. Second, the forecasting resulted from the DIRMO and RECMO strategies is more accurate than that of the other strategies. Finally, the RECMO strategy requires less model training time than the DIRMO strategy and consumes the least amount of training time among five forecasting strategies.
基金Project(2012CB725402)supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of ChinaProjects(51338003,50908051)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘The techniques to forecast available parking space(APS) are indispensable components for parking guidance systems(PGS). According to the data collected in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the changing characteristics of APS were studied. Thereafter, aiming to build up a multi-step APS forecasting model that provides richer information than a conventional one-step model, the largest Lyapunov exponents(largest LEs) method was introduced into PGS. By experimental tests conducted using the same dataset, its prediction performance was compared with traditional wavelet neural network(WNN) method in both one-step and multi-step processes. Based on the results, a new multi-step forecasting model called WNN-LE method was proposed, where WNN, which enjoys a more accurate performance along with a better learning ability in short-term forecasting, was applied in the early forecast steps while the Lyapunov exponent prediction method in the latter steps precisely reflect the chaotic feature in latter forecast period. The MSE of APS forecasting for one hour time period can be reduced from 83.1 to 27.1(in a parking building with 492 berths) by using largest LEs method instead of WNN and further reduced to 19.0 by conducted the new method.
文摘Extra-nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas (LELC) are uncommon epithelial tumors. A few isolated case reports and series are available in literature involving the larynx, pharynx, salivary gland, lung etc., but involvement in the parapharyngeal space has not yet been reported. We aim to highlight one such case that has a clinical and radiological characteristic of a benign lesion whilst the histopathology reveals an infiltrating neoplasm. The typical clinical aggressiveness of a classical LELC of extra-nasopharyngeal lesion as described in literature is not present in our case. Also seen is an uncommon finding of abnormal branching of left external carotid artery. There is no standard treatment protocol for such a tumor;however, wide excision of this tumor in the parapharyngeal space via trans-cervical, trans-mandibular, trans-palatal approach has shown good and satisfactory tumor control of the primary site so far.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81000530, 30973093the Creative Talent Project of Henan Province Health Department, No.2010-4106
文摘Non-invasive tracing in vivo can be used to observe the migration and distnbution of grafted stem cells, and can provide experimental evidence for treatment. This study utilized adenovirus-carrying enhanced green fluorescent protein (AD5/F35-eGFP) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-Iabeled bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). BMSCs, double-labeled by AD5/F35-eGFP and SPIO, were transplanted into rats with spinal cord injury via the subarachnoid space. MRI tracing results demonstrated that BMSCs migrated to the injured spinal cord over time (T2 hypointensity signals). This result was verified by immunofluorescence. These results indicate that MRI can be utilized to trace in vivo the SPIO-labeled BMSCs after grafting.
文摘Connecting occupants to the outdoor environment and incorporating biophilic design principles are challenging in extreme Arctic climatic conditions.Existing Arctic housing models do not provide efficient thermal and daylight transitions which are essential for the well-being and cultural needs of their occupants.To address these challenges,this research develops free-running biophilic intermediate spaces,integrated into an existing Arctic housing model.Numerical simulation methods are employed to optimize the primary and secondary architectural design variables for 26 case studies of intermediate spaces.Primary variables include volume,transparency ratio,and orientation.Secondary variables include materials and physical adjacency.Temperature,Daylight Factor/Autonomy,and Energy Use are evaluated as performance indicators.Results reveal that free-running intermediate spaces with 6 meters depth and a transparency ratio above 50%provide efficient indoor–outdoor transitions regarding thermal,visual,and energy performance.Such architectural configurations contribute to an approximately 5%reduction in energy consumption within the housing unit compared to the baseline.Opening side windows prevents the risk of overheating during the summer by reducing the average indoor temperature of intermediate spaces by 7°C but increases the overall energy consumption.As a potential alternative to double-glazing,polycarbonate sheets enable efficient thermal performance by increasing the average indoor temperature of intermediate spaces by approximately 15°C during the cold Arctic seasons.Using polycarbonate sheets results in a 16.6%reduction in energy consumption compared to using double-glazing material in intermediate space,and a 26%reduction from the baseline.Research outcomes contribute to efficient indoor–outdoor connections and energy efficiency in Arctic housing.