Classification of coffee using artificial neural network

The paper presents a method for classifying coffees according to their scents using artificial neural network (ANN). The proposed method of uses genetic algorithm (GA) to determine the optimal parameters and topology of ANN. It uses adaptive backpropagation to accelerate the training process so that the entire optimization process can be achieved in an accelerated time. The optimized ANN has successfully classified the coffees using a relatively small set of training data. The performance of the optimized ANN compare significantly better than the methods proposed by other researchers.published_or_final_versio

Application of artificial neural networks in sales forecasting

The aim of the work presented in this paper is to forecast sales volumes as accurately as possible and as far into the future as possible. The choice of network topology was Silva's adaptive backpropagation algorithm and the network architectures were selected by genetic algorithms (GAs). The networks were trained to forecast from 1 month to 6 months in advance and the performance of the network was tested after training. The test results of artificial neural networks (ANNs) are compared with the time series smoothing methods of forecasting using several measures of accuracy. The outcome of the comparison proved that the ANNs generally perform better than the time series smoothing methods of forecasting. Further recommendations resulting from this paper are presentedpublished_or_final_versio

Role of mitochondrial uncoupling protein-4 in energy supply during neuronal differentiation

OBJECTIVES: Neuronal differentiation is involved in brain development. Stimulation of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) in neuroblastoma cells results in growth inhibition, increased neuron-specific enolase (NSE) activity, and promoted axonal growth. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein-4 (UCP4) is ...published_or_final_versionThe 16th Medical Research Conference (MRC), Department of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 22 January 2011. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2011, v. 17 suppl. 1, p. 31, abstract no. 4

Maggot debridement therapy in chronic wound care

Objective: To review the current evidence on the mechanism of actions and clinical applications of maggot debridement therapy. Data sources: Literature search of PubMed and Medline was performed up to January 2007. Study selection: Original and major review articles related to maggot debridement therapy were reviewed. Key words used in the literature search were 'maggot debridement therapy', 'wound healing', and 'chronic wound management'. Data extraction: All relevant English and Chinese articles. Data synthesis: The mechanism of such maggot therapy was shown to be due to the debridement, disinfection, and wound healing enhancement actions of maggot excretions/secretions. The efficacy of maggot debridement therapy in chronic wound management has been demonstrated in chronic venous ulcers, pressure ulcers, and diabetic ulcers. There is also a new delivery system for the excretions/secretions, which has been shown to be as effective as using live maggots. Conclusions: Maggot debridement therapy has been shown to be a safe and effective means of chronic wound management. However, there are a number of limitations when considering its local applicability. Future development of the delivery system may help to overcome some of these limitations and improve its acceptability.published_or_final_versio

Mitochondrial neuronal uncoupling proteins: a target for potential disease-modification in Parkinson's disease

This review gives a brief insight into the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the converging pathogenic processes involved in Parkinson's disease (PD). Mitochondria provide cellular energy in the form of ATP via oxidative phosphorylation, but as an integral part of this process, superoxides and other reactive oxygen species are also produced. Excessive free radical production contributes to oxidative stress. Cells have evolved to handle such stress via various endogenous anti-oxidant proteins. One such family of proteins is the mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs), which are anion carriers located in the mitochondrial inner membrane. There are five known homologues (UCP1 to 5), of which UCP4 and 5 are predominantly expressed in neural cells. In a series of previous publications, we have shown how these neuronal UCPs respond to 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+; toxic metabolite of MPTP) and dopamine-induced toxicity to alleviate neuronal cell death by preserving ATP levels and mitochondrial membrane potential, and reducing oxidative stress. We also showed how their expression can be influenced by nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway specifically in UCP4. Furthermore, we previously reported an interesting link between PD and metabolic processes through the protective effects of leptin (hormone produced by adipocytes) acting via UCP2 against MPP+-induced toxicity. There is increasing evidence that these endogenous neuronal UCPs can play a vital role to protect neurons against various pathogenic stresses including those associated with PD. Their expression, which can be induced, may well be a potential therapeutic target for various drugs to alleviate the harmful effects of pathogenic processes in PD and hence modify the progression of this disease.published_or_final_versio

Comparing Biological Motion Perception in Two Distinct Human Societies

Cross cultural studies have played a pivotal role in elucidating the extent to which behavioral and mental characteristics depend on specific environmental influences. Surprisingly, little field research has been carried out on a fundamentally important perceptual ability, namely the perception of biological motion. In this report, we present details of studies carried out with the help of volunteers from the Mundurucu indigene, a group of people native to Amazonian territories in Brazil. We employed standard biological motion perception tasks inspired by over 30 years of laboratory research, in which observers attempt to decipher the walking direction of point-light (PL) humans and animals. Do our effortless skills at perceiving biological activity from PL animations, as revealed in laboratory settings, generalize to people who have never before seen representational depictions of human and animal activity? The results of our studies provide a clear answer to this important, previously unanswered question. Mundurucu observers readily perceived the coherent, global shape depicted in PL walkers, and experienced the classic inversion effects that are typically found when such stimuli are turned upside down. In addition, their performance was in accord with important recent findings in the literature, in the abundant ease with which they extracted direction information from local motion invariants alone. We conclude that the effortless, veridical perception of PL biological motion is a spontaneous and universal perceptual ability, occurring both inside and outside traditional laboratory environments

Characteristics of revisits of children at risk for serious infections in pediatric emergency care

In this study, we aimed to identify characteristics of (unscheduled) revisits and its optimal time frame after Emergency Department (ED) discharge. Children with fever, dyspnea, or vomiting/diarrhea (1 month–16 years) who attended the ED of Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam (2010–2013), the Netherlands, were prospectively included. Three days after ED discharge, we applied standardized telephonic questionnaires on disease course and revisits. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent characteristics of revisits. Young age, parental concern, and alarming signs and symptoms (chest wall retractions, ill appearance, clinical signs of dehydration, and tachypnea) were associated with revisits (n = 527) in children at risk for serious infections discharged from the ED (n = 1765). Children revisited the ED within a median of 2 days (IQR 1.0–3.0), but this was proven to be shorter in children with vomiting/diarrhea (1.0 day (IQR 1.0–2.0)) compared to children with fever or dyspnea (2.0 (IQR 1.0–3.0)). CONCLUSION: Young age, parental concern, and alarming signs and symptoms (chest wall retractions, ill appearance, clinical signs of dehydration, and tachypnea) were associated with emergency health care revisits in children with fever, dyspnea, and vomiting/diarrhea. These characteristics could help to define targeted review of children during post-discharge period. We observed a disease specific and differential timing of control revisits after ED discharge

Elicitation of a pungent sensation does not implicate memory modulation in adolescents aged 14-16

Ref no. 701.12/KKK33Pungent sensation induced by allyl isothiocyanate which is a functional ingredient in a Japanese horseradish called wasabi involves the activation of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1). It has been suggested that TRPA1 is associated with cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease and neuroprotection on dentate gyrus granule cells. As our previous studies focus on daily-life strategies such as physical exercise and sleep for memory enhancement in adolescents, we further investigate whether elicitation of a pungent sensation would modulate memory recall. In the present study, children aged 14-16 spend 1 minute to orally taste wasabi to acquire a pungent sense, followed by an immediate 5-minute memory recall test displaying ten random combinations of three to four English alphabets plus one to two Arabic numbers in each attempt. Our results showed that the pungent sensation induced by wasabi showed no significant modulation on memory recall in the adolescents. This implicates that immediate elicitation of a pungent sensation in which TRPA1 may be involved does not help memory recall in adolescents.postprin

Integrating Multiple Biomarkers of Fish Health: A Case Study of Fish Health in Ports

Biomarkers of fish health are recognised as valuable biomonitoring tools that inform on the impact of pollution on biota. The integration of a suite of biomarkers in a statistical analysis that better illustrates the effects of exposure to xenobiotics on living organisms is most informative; however, most published ecotoxicological studies base the interpretation of results on individual biomarkers rather than on the information they carry as a set. To compare the interpretation of results from individual biomarkers with an interpretation based on multivariate analysis, a case study was selected where fish health was examined in two species of fish captured in two ports located in Western Australia. The suite of variables selected included chemical analysis of white muscle, body condition index, liver somatic index (LSI), hepatic ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity, serum sorbitol dehydrogenase activity, biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites, oxidative DNA damage as measured by serum 8-oxo-dG, and stress protein HSP70 measured on gill tissue. Statistical analysis of individual biomarkers suggested little consistent evidence of the effects of contaminants on fish health. However, when biomarkers were integrated as a set by principal component analysis, there was evidence that the health status of fish in Fremantle port was compromised mainly due to increased LSI and greater oxidative DNA damage in fish captured within the port area relative to fish captured at a remote site. The conclusions achieved using the integrated set of biomarkers show the importance of viewing biomarkers of fish health as a set of variables rather than as isolated biomarkers of fish health