This paper introduces decimated filter banks for the one-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (1D-EMD). These filter banks can provide perfect reconstruction and allow for an arbitrary tree structure. Since the ...This paper introduces decimated filter banks for the one-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (1D-EMD). These filter banks can provide perfect reconstruction and allow for an arbitrary tree structure. Since the EMD is a data driven decomposition, it is a very useful analysis instrument for non-stationary and non-linear signals. However, the traditional 1D-EMD has the disadvantage of expanding the data. Large data sets can be generated as the amount of data to be stored increases with every decomposition level. The 1D-EMD can be thought as having the structure of a single dyadic filter. However, a methodology to incorporate the decomposition into any arbitrary tree structure has not been reported yet in the literature. This paper shows how to extend the 1D-EMD into any arbitrary tree structure while maintaining the perfect reconstruction property. Furthermore, the technique allows for downsampling the decomposed signals. This paper, thus, presents a method to minimize the data-expansion drawback of the 1D-EMD by using decimation and merging the EMD coefficients. The proposed algorithm is applicable for any arbitrary tree structure including a full binary tree structure.展开更多
Chinese hi-tech multinationals strengthen their technological competitiveness in their internationalization process. Their strategic emphasis on cooperation with academic institutes to develop professional knowledge i...Chinese hi-tech multinationals strengthen their technological competitiveness in their internationalization process. Their strategic emphasis on cooperation with academic institutes to develop professional knowledge is an important yet underexplored issue in the extant literature. Based on the comparison between a pair of hi-tech companies--HUAWEI from China and CISCO from the US, this study analyzes the process of technological evolution of the former during 1998-2014, which ihas already become one of strategic solutions for Chinese multinationals (CMNE) to catch up with traditional counterparts in technological field. This study contributes to the present theory of CMNE by disclosing the Firm-University Cooperation (FUC) strategy, as well as its significance and implications for later-corner's catch-up trajectory in international business.展开更多
<span style="font-family:Verdana;">The growing interest of consumers in using foods that improve health has motivated researchers and the food industry to develop new functional products such as foods ...<span style="font-family:Verdana;">The growing interest of consumers in using foods that improve health has motivated researchers and the food industry to develop new functional products such as foods with probiotics. Probiotic cultures, for example, from lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria have been highlighted for their ability to promote balance in the intestinal microbiota as well as other benefits such as anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects, reduced plasma cholesterol levels, decreased symptoms of lactose intolerance, and stimulation of the immune </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">response. Traditionally, probiotics are incorporated into dairy products.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> However, because of the growing number of individuals affected by lactose into</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">lerance and/or vegans, other food matrices have been studied as potential</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> car</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">riers for these microorganisms. Considering all the facts mentioned above, cereals, legumes, fruits, and vegetables could be potential substrates, where</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> probiotic bacteria can be used for the development of non-dairy beverages. This review aimed to highlight the research carried out on 1) probiotic micro-organisms, including the more recent reclassification according to their phylogenetic position, 2) probiotic beverages from non-dairy sources which emerged as an alternative for lactose-intolerant consumers and, 3) the aspects of improving the gut microbiota.</span>展开更多
Since the start of the Precision Medicine Initiative by the United States of America in 2015,interest in personalized medicine has grown extensively.In short,personalized medicine is a term that describes medical trea...Since the start of the Precision Medicine Initiative by the United States of America in 2015,interest in personalized medicine has grown extensively.In short,personalized medicine is a term that describes medical treatment that is tuned to the individual.One possible way to realize personalized medicine is 3D printing.When using materials that can be tuned upon stimulation,4D printing is established.In recent years,many studies have been exploring a new field that combines 3D and 4D printing with therapeutics.This has resulted in many concepts of pharmaceutical devices and formulations that can be printed and,possibly,tailored to an individual.Moreover,the first 3D printed drug,Spritam®,has already found its way to the clinic.This review gives an overview of various 3D and 4D printing techniques and their applications in the pharmaceutical field as drug delivery systems and personalized medicine.展开更多
Mechanomyography (MMG) acquires the oscillatory waves of contracting muscles. Electromyography (EMG) is a tool for monitoring muscle overall electrical activity. During muscle contractions, both techniques can investi...Mechanomyography (MMG) acquires the oscillatory waves of contracting muscles. Electromyography (EMG) is a tool for monitoring muscle overall electrical activity. During muscle contractions, both techniques can investigate the changes that occur in the muscle properties. EMG and MMG parameters have been used for detecting muscle fatigue with diverse test protocols, sensors and filtering. Depending on the analysis window length (WLA), monitoring physiological events could be compromised due to imprecision in the determination of parameters. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of WLA variation on different MMG and EMG parameters during submaximal isometric contractions monitoring MMG and EMG parameters. Ten male volunteers performed isometric contractions of elbow joint. Triaxial accelerometer-based MMG sensor and EMG electrodes were positioned on the biceps brachii muscle belly. Torque was monitored with a load cell. Volunteers remained seated with hip and elbow joint at angles of 110° and 90°, respectively. The protocol consisted in maintaining torque at 70% of maximum voluntary contraction as long as they could. Parameter data of EMG and the modulus of MMG were determined for four segments of the signal. Statistical analysis consisted of analyses of variance and Fisher’s least square differences post-hoc test. Also, Pearson’s correlation was calculated to determine whether parameters that monitor similar physiological events would have strong correlation. The modulus of MMG mean power frequency (MPF) and the number of crossings in the baseline could detect changes between fresh and fatigued muscle with 1.0 s WLA. MPF and the skewness of the spectrum (μ3), parameters related to the compression of the spectrum, behaved differently when monitored with a triaxial MMG sensor. The EMG results show that for the 1.0 s and 2.0 s WLAs have normalized RMS difference with fatigued muscle and that there was strong correlation between parameters of different domains.展开更多
Objectives: This research work intends to clarify the role of artificial saliva, in particularly the role of mucin, a salivary protein, on the surface properties and adhesion ability of Candida spp. oral clinical isol...Objectives: This research work intends to clarify the role of artificial saliva, in particularly the role of mucin, a salivary protein, on the surface properties and adhesion ability of Candida spp. oral clinical isolates to abiotic surfaces. Methods: Four oral clinical isolates of Candida spp. were used: two Candida albicans strains (AC;AM) and two Candida parapsilosis strains (AD;AM2). The strains were isolated from patients using oral prosthesis. The microorganisms were cultured in the absence or presence of mucin and artificial saliva, and their adhesion to an abiotic surface (coated with mucin and artificial saliva) was evaluated. Results: The presence of mucin per se onto the abiotic surface decreased the adhesion of all strains, although the combination of mucin with artificial saliva had reduced this effect. No direct correlation between adhesion and the surface free energies of adhesion of the microorganisms was found. Significance: Candida spp. were human commensal microorganisms that became pathogenic when the host immune defenses were compromised. Medical devices were colonized by Candida spp. particularly, oral prostheses, which might lead to the degradation of the prostheses and systemic infections. The salivary secretions that constantly cover the oral cavity influenced Candida spp. adhesion process. Therefore, it was important to understand the interactions between Candida spp., salivary proteins and the characteristic of oral prosthesis when developing materials for oral prostheses.展开更多
The development of injectable bone substitutes(IBS)have obtained great importance in the bone re-generation field,as a strategy to reach hardly accessible defects using minimally invasive techniques and able to fit to...The development of injectable bone substitutes(IBS)have obtained great importance in the bone re-generation field,as a strategy to reach hardly accessible defects using minimally invasive techniques and able to fit to irregular topographies.In this scenario,the association of injectable hydrogels and bone graft granules is emerging as a well-established trend.Particularly,in situ forming hydrogels have arisen as a new IBS generation.An in situ forming and injectable dextrin-based hydrogel(HG)was developed,aiming to act as a carrier of granular bone substitutes and bioactive agents.In this work,the HG was associated to a granular bone substitute(Bonelike)and implanted in goat critical-sized calvarial defects(14mm)for 3,6 and 12weeks.The results showed that HG improved the han-dling properties of the Bonelike granules and did not affect its osteoconductive features,neither impairing the bone regener ation process.Human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells from the umbilical cord,extracellular matrix hydrolysates and the pro-angiogenic peptide LLKKK18 were also combined with the IBS.These bioactive agents did not enhance the new bone formation significantly under the conditions tested,according to micro-computed tomography and histological analysis.展开更多
基金supported in part by an internal grant of Eastern Washington University
文摘This paper introduces decimated filter banks for the one-dimensional empirical mode decomposition (1D-EMD). These filter banks can provide perfect reconstruction and allow for an arbitrary tree structure. Since the EMD is a data driven decomposition, it is a very useful analysis instrument for non-stationary and non-linear signals. However, the traditional 1D-EMD has the disadvantage of expanding the data. Large data sets can be generated as the amount of data to be stored increases with every decomposition level. The 1D-EMD can be thought as having the structure of a single dyadic filter. However, a methodology to incorporate the decomposition into any arbitrary tree structure has not been reported yet in the literature. This paper shows how to extend the 1D-EMD into any arbitrary tree structure while maintaining the perfect reconstruction property. Furthermore, the technique allows for downsampling the decomposed signals. This paper, thus, presents a method to minimize the data-expansion drawback of the 1D-EMD by using decimation and merging the EMD coefficients. The proposed algorithm is applicable for any arbitrary tree structure including a full binary tree structure.
文摘Chinese hi-tech multinationals strengthen their technological competitiveness in their internationalization process. Their strategic emphasis on cooperation with academic institutes to develop professional knowledge is an important yet underexplored issue in the extant literature. Based on the comparison between a pair of hi-tech companies--HUAWEI from China and CISCO from the US, this study analyzes the process of technological evolution of the former during 1998-2014, which ihas already become one of strategic solutions for Chinese multinationals (CMNE) to catch up with traditional counterparts in technological field. This study contributes to the present theory of CMNE by disclosing the Firm-University Cooperation (FUC) strategy, as well as its significance and implications for later-corner's catch-up trajectory in international business.
文摘<span style="font-family:Verdana;">The growing interest of consumers in using foods that improve health has motivated researchers and the food industry to develop new functional products such as foods with probiotics. Probiotic cultures, for example, from lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria have been highlighted for their ability to promote balance in the intestinal microbiota as well as other benefits such as anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects, reduced plasma cholesterol levels, decreased symptoms of lactose intolerance, and stimulation of the immune </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">response. Traditionally, probiotics are incorporated into dairy products.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> However, because of the growing number of individuals affected by lactose into</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">lerance and/or vegans, other food matrices have been studied as potential</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> car</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">riers for these microorganisms. Considering all the facts mentioned above, cereals, legumes, fruits, and vegetables could be potential substrates, where</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> probiotic bacteria can be used for the development of non-dairy beverages. This review aimed to highlight the research carried out on 1) probiotic micro-organisms, including the more recent reclassification according to their phylogenetic position, 2) probiotic beverages from non-dairy sources which emerged as an alternative for lactose-intolerant consumers and, 3) the aspects of improving the gut microbiota.</span>
文摘Since the start of the Precision Medicine Initiative by the United States of America in 2015,interest in personalized medicine has grown extensively.In short,personalized medicine is a term that describes medical treatment that is tuned to the individual.One possible way to realize personalized medicine is 3D printing.When using materials that can be tuned upon stimulation,4D printing is established.In recent years,many studies have been exploring a new field that combines 3D and 4D printing with therapeutics.This has resulted in many concepts of pharmaceutical devices and formulations that can be printed and,possibly,tailored to an individual.Moreover,the first 3D printed drug,Spritam®,has already found its way to the clinic.This review gives an overview of various 3D and 4D printing techniques and their applications in the pharmaceutical field as drug delivery systems and personalized medicine.
基金CNPq and CAPES for the financial support and grants received.
文摘Mechanomyography (MMG) acquires the oscillatory waves of contracting muscles. Electromyography (EMG) is a tool for monitoring muscle overall electrical activity. During muscle contractions, both techniques can investigate the changes that occur in the muscle properties. EMG and MMG parameters have been used for detecting muscle fatigue with diverse test protocols, sensors and filtering. Depending on the analysis window length (WLA), monitoring physiological events could be compromised due to imprecision in the determination of parameters. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of WLA variation on different MMG and EMG parameters during submaximal isometric contractions monitoring MMG and EMG parameters. Ten male volunteers performed isometric contractions of elbow joint. Triaxial accelerometer-based MMG sensor and EMG electrodes were positioned on the biceps brachii muscle belly. Torque was monitored with a load cell. Volunteers remained seated with hip and elbow joint at angles of 110° and 90°, respectively. The protocol consisted in maintaining torque at 70% of maximum voluntary contraction as long as they could. Parameter data of EMG and the modulus of MMG were determined for four segments of the signal. Statistical analysis consisted of analyses of variance and Fisher’s least square differences post-hoc test. Also, Pearson’s correlation was calculated to determine whether parameters that monitor similar physiological events would have strong correlation. The modulus of MMG mean power frequency (MPF) and the number of crossings in the baseline could detect changes between fresh and fatigued muscle with 1.0 s WLA. MPF and the skewness of the spectrum (μ3), parameters related to the compression of the spectrum, behaved differently when monitored with a triaxial MMG sensor. The EMG results show that for the 1.0 s and 2.0 s WLAs have normalized RMS difference with fatigued muscle and that there was strong correlation between parameters of different domains.
文摘Objectives: This research work intends to clarify the role of artificial saliva, in particularly the role of mucin, a salivary protein, on the surface properties and adhesion ability of Candida spp. oral clinical isolates to abiotic surfaces. Methods: Four oral clinical isolates of Candida spp. were used: two Candida albicans strains (AC;AM) and two Candida parapsilosis strains (AD;AM2). The strains were isolated from patients using oral prosthesis. The microorganisms were cultured in the absence or presence of mucin and artificial saliva, and their adhesion to an abiotic surface (coated with mucin and artificial saliva) was evaluated. Results: The presence of mucin per se onto the abiotic surface decreased the adhesion of all strains, although the combination of mucin with artificial saliva had reduced this effect. No direct correlation between adhesion and the surface free energies of adhesion of the microorganisms was found. Significance: Candida spp. were human commensal microorganisms that became pathogenic when the host immune defenses were compromised. Medical devices were colonized by Candida spp. particularly, oral prostheses, which might lead to the degradation of the prostheses and systemic infections. The salivary secretions that constantly cover the oral cavity influenced Candida spp. adhesion process. Therefore, it was important to understand the interactions between Candida spp., salivary proteins and the characteristic of oral prosthesis when developing materials for oral prostheses.
基金This work was funded by the project‘DEXGELERATION-Advanced solu-tions for bone regeneration based on dextrin hydrogels’(Norte-07-0202-FEDER-038853).It was also funded by FCT under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 and UID/BIM/04293/2013 units and COMPETE 2020(POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684),BioTecNorte operation(NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004)and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012 funded by FEDER under the scope of Norte2020-Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.Isabel Pereira and Ana Rita Caseiro were supported by the grants SFRH/BD90066/2012 and SFRH/BD/101174/2014,respectively,from FCT,Portugal.
文摘The development of injectable bone substitutes(IBS)have obtained great importance in the bone re-generation field,as a strategy to reach hardly accessible defects using minimally invasive techniques and able to fit to irregular topographies.In this scenario,the association of injectable hydrogels and bone graft granules is emerging as a well-established trend.Particularly,in situ forming hydrogels have arisen as a new IBS generation.An in situ forming and injectable dextrin-based hydrogel(HG)was developed,aiming to act as a carrier of granular bone substitutes and bioactive agents.In this work,the HG was associated to a granular bone substitute(Bonelike)and implanted in goat critical-sized calvarial defects(14mm)for 3,6 and 12weeks.The results showed that HG improved the han-dling properties of the Bonelike granules and did not affect its osteoconductive features,neither impairing the bone regener ation process.Human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells from the umbilical cord,extracellular matrix hydrolysates and the pro-angiogenic peptide LLKKK18 were also combined with the IBS.These bioactive agents did not enhance the new bone formation significantly under the conditions tested,according to micro-computed tomography and histological analysis.