Development of a Prototype of Guidance System for Rice-transplanter

Zhang, Fang-Ming,Shin, Beom-Soo,Feng, Xi-Ming,Li, Yuan,Shou, Ru-Jiang Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery 2013 바이오시스템공학 Vol.38 No.4

Purpose: It is not easy to drive a rice-transplanter avoiding underlapped or overlapped transplanting in paddy fields. An automated guidance system for the riding-type rice-transplanter would be necessary to operate the rice-transplanter autonomously or to assist the beginning drivers as a driving aid. Methods: A prototype of guidance system was composed of embedded computers, RTK-GPS, and a power-steering mechanism. Two Kalman filters were adopted to overcome sparse positioning data (1 Hz) from the RTK-GPS. A global Kalman filter estimated the posture of rice-transplanter every one second, and a local Kalman filter calculated the posture from every new estimation of the global Kalman filter with an interval of 200 ms. A PID controller was applied to the row-following mode control. A control method of U-turning mode was developed as well. A stepping motor with a reduction gear set was used to rotate the shaft of steering wheel. Results: Test trials for U-turning and row-following modes were done in a paddy field after some parameters have been tuned at the ground speed range of 0.3 ~ 1.2 m/s. The minimum RMS error of offset was 3.13 cm at the ground speed of 0.3 m/s while the maximum RMS error was 13.01 cm at 1.2 m/s. The offset RMS error tended to increase as the ground speed increased. The target point distance, LT also affected the system performance and PID controller parameters should be adjusted on different ground speeds. Conclusions: A target angle-based PID controller plus stationary steering angle controller made it possible for the rice-transplanter to steer autonomously by following a reference line accurately and even on U-turning mode. However, as condition in paddy fields is very complicated, the system should control the ground speed that prevents it from deviating too much due to ditch and slope.

Cordblood-Based High-Throughput Screening for Deafness Gene of 646 Newborns in Jinan Area of China

Shou-Xia Li,Ding-Li Chen,Su-Bin Zhao,Li-Li Guo,Hai-Qin Feng,Xiao-Fang Zhang,Li-Li Ping,Zhi-Ming Yang,Cai-Xia Sun,Gen-Dong Yao 대한이비인후과학회 2015 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.8 No.3

Objectives. Infants with slight/mild or late-onset hearing impairment might be missed in universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS). We identified the mutation hot spot of common deaf gene in the newborns in Jinan area population by screening the mutation spot with neonate cord blood, in order to make clear whether the neonate cord blood for screening is feasible. Methods. Six hundred and forty-six newborns were subjected to both UNHS and genetic screening for deafness by using neonate cord blood. The newborn genetic screening targeted four deafness-associated genes, which were commonly found in the Chinese population including gap junction beta-2 protein (GJB2), gap junction beta-3 protein (GJB3), solute carrier family 26 member 4 (SLC26A4), and mtDNA 12S rRNA. The most common 20 spot mutations in 4 deaf genes were detected by MassARRAY iPLEX platform and mitochondrial 12S rRNA A1555G and C1494T mutations were sequenced using Sanger sequencing. Results. Among the 646 newborns, 635 cases passed the UNHS and the other 11 cases (1.7%) did not. Of the 11 failures, two cases were found to carry homozygous GJB2 p.R143W pathogenic mutation, one case was found to have heterozygous GJB2 235delC mutation, and another one case carried heterozygous GJB3 p.R180X pathogenic mutation. Six hundred and thirty-five babies passed the newborn hearing screening, in which 25 babies were identified to carry pathogenic mutations, including 12 heterozygotes (1.9%) for GJB2 235delC, eight heterozygotes (1.3%) for SLC26A4 IVS7-2A>G, one heterozygote (0.2%) for p.R409H, two homozygotes (0.3%) for m.1494C>T, and two homozygotes (0.3%) for m.1555A>G. Conclusion. Newborn genetic screening through the umbilical cord blood for common deafness-associated mutations may identify carriers sensitive to aminoglycoside antibiotic, and can effectively prevent or delay hearing loss occurs.

Association of TNF-α-308 and -238 Polymorphisms with Risk of Cervical Cancer: A Meta-analysis

Pan, Feng,Tian, Jing,Ji, Chu-Shu,He, Yi-Fu,Han, Xing-Hua,Wang, Yong,Du, Jian-Ping,Jiang, Feng-Shou,Zhang, Ying,Pan, Yue-Yin,Hu, Bing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.11

Published data on the associations between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-${\alpha}$) promoter -308G>A and -238G>A polymorphisms and cervical cancer risk are inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. Data were collected from MEDLINE and PubMed databases. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in a fixed/random effect model. 13 separate studies including 3294 cases and 3468 controls were involved in the meta-analysis. We found no association between TNF-${\alpha}$-308G>A polymorphism and cervical cancer in overall population. In subgroup analysis, significantly elevated risks were found in Caucasian population (A vs. G: OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.00-2.03; AA vs. GG: OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.34-3.25; Recessive model: OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.35-3.25) and African population (GA vs. GG: OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.02-2.30). An association of TNF-${\alpha}$-238G>A polymorphism with cervical cancer was found (A vs. G: OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.47-0.78; GA vs. GG: OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.45-0.77; Dominant model: OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.46-0.77). When stratified by ethnicity, similar association was observed in Caucasian population (A vs. G: OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.46-0.84; GA vs. GG: OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.43-0.82; Dominant model: OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.44-0.83). In summary, this meta-analysis suggests that TNF-${\alpha}$-238A allele significantly decreased the cervical cancer risk, and the TNF-${\alpha}$-308G>A polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to cervical cancer in Caucasian and African population.

Tizoxanide induces autophagy by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/ mTOR pathway in RAW264.7 macrophage cells

Jiaoqin Shou,Mi Wang,Xiaolei Cheng,Xiaoyang Wang,Lifang Zhang,Yingchun Liu,Chenzhong Fei,Chunmei Wang,Feng Gu,Feiqun Xue,Juan Li,Keyu Zhang 대한약학회 2020 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.43 No.2

As the main metabolite of nitazoxanide, tizoxanide(TIZ) has a broad-spectrum anti-infective effect againstparasites, bacteria, and virus. In this study, we investigatedthe effects of TIZ on autophagy by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. RAW264.7 macrophage cellswere treated with various TIZ concentrations. Cell viabilityassay, transmission electron microscope, and immunofluorescencestaining were used to detect the biological functionof the macrophage cells, and the expression levels of theautophagy pathway-related proteins were measured by Westernblot. Results revealed that TIZ promoted the conversionof LC3-I to LC3-II, the formation of autophagy vacuoles,and the degradation of SQSTM1/p62 in a concentration- andtime-dependent manner in RAW264.7 cells. Treatment withTIZ increased the Beclin-1 expression level and inhibitedPI3K, Akt, mTOR, and ULK1 activation. These effects wereenhanced by pretreatment with rapamycin but attenuated bypretreatment with LY294002. In addition, the conversion ofLC3-I to LC3-II was observed in Vero, 293T, and HepG2cells treated with TIZ. These data suggested that TIZ mayinduce autophagy by inhibiting the Akt/mTOR/ULK1 signalingpathway in macrophages and other cells.

Long noncoding RNA atlas of the inflammation caused by asthma in mice

Ye Chen,Shou‑di He,Xiao‑dong Li,Zhi‑li Hu,Chao Zhang,Feng Xu 대한약학회 2020 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.43 No.4

There is little evidence regarding the roles oflong noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in inflammation caused byasthma. In this study, we successfully generated an asthmamouse model that was induced by ovalbumin (OVA). Theeffects of dexamethasone (Dex) treatment on lung tissuewere investigated using pathological and biochemicalmethods, including Diff-Quik staining, enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay (ELISA), hematoxylin–eosin (H&E)staining, and western blotting (WB). The inflammation waseffectively relieved with Dex treatment. High-throughputsequencing revealed that a total of 1490 lncRNAs were detected in lung tissue samples. Differential expressionanalysis revealed that the Dex group had 20 upregulatedand 15 downregulated lncRNAs compared with those inthe Model group. Moreover, nine differentially expressedand inflammation-related lncRNAs were verified by quantitativereal-time reverse transcription polymerase chainreaction (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, the regulation networksof these nine lncRNAs, their potential binding microRNA(miRNAs), and the putative target genes showed that theselncRNAs play important roles in the nuclear factor kappalight-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signalingpathway. We further identified the expression levels of threepotential binding miRNAs by qRT-PCR. The results of thisstudy contribute to a better understanding of the functionsof lncRNAs in inflammation caused by asthma.

Off-Road Machinery Systms Engineering : Development of a Prototype of Guidance System for Rice-transplanter

( Fang Ming Zhang ),( Beom Soo Shin ),( Xi Ming Feng ),( Yuan Li ),( Ri Jiang Shou ) 한국농업기계학회 2013 바이오시스템공학 Vol.38 No.4

Purpose: It is not easy to drive a rice-transplanter avoiding underlapped or overlapped transplanting in paddy fields. An automated guidance system for the riding-type rice-transplanter would be necessary to operate the rice-transplanter autonomously or to assist the beginning drivers as a driving aid. Methods: A prototype of guidance system was composed of embedded computers, RTK-GPS, and a power-steering mechanism. Two Kalman filters were adopted to overcome sparse positioning data (1 Hz) from the RTK-GPS. A global Kalman filter estimated the posture of rice-transplanter every one second, and a local Kalman filter calculated the posture from every new estimation of the global Kalman filter with an interval of 200 ms. A PID controller was applied to the row-following mode control. A control method of U-turning mode was developed as well. A stepping motor with a reduction gear set was used to rotate the shaft of steering wheel. Results:Test trials for U-turning and row-following modes were done in a paddy field after some parameters have been tuned at the ground speed range of 0.3 ~ 1.2 m/s. The minimum RMS error of offset was 3.13 cm at the ground speed of 0.3 m/s while the maximum RMS error was 13.01 cm at 1.2 m/s. The offset RMS error tended to increase as the ground speed increased. The target point distance, LT also affected the system performance and PID controller parameters should be adjusted on different ground speeds. Conclusions: A target angle-based PID controller plus stationary steering angle controller made it possible for the rice-transplanter to steer autonomously by following a reference line accurately and even on U-turning mode. However, as condition in paddy fields is very complicated, the system should control the ground speed that prevents it from deviating too much due to ditch and slope.

Development of an automated guidance system for rice transplanter1

( Fang-ming Zhang ),( Xi-ming Feng ),( Yuan Li ),( Beom-soo Shin ),( Ru-jiang Shou ) 한국농업기계학회 2012 한국농업기계학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.17 No.1

An automated guidance system was developed on a rice transplanter. A distributed embedded computer system, one ECC and 5 ECUs, was constructed. Two Kalman filters were formed. The 1^st one, named as global Kalman filter, integrated data of a RTK-GPS, a strapdown attitude sensor, and two encoders. The 2^nd one, named as local Kalman filter, integrated data of a strapdown attitude sensor and two encoders. A PID controller was applied to row following control, whose offset RMS could less than 4 cm at speed of 1.2 m/s. A U-turn controller was also designed that it could control the transplanter in a go-turn-back mode.

RV-23, a Melittin-Related Peptide with Cell-Selective Antibacterial Activity and High Hemocompatibility

( Shi Kun Zhang ),( Qian Ma ),( Su Bo Li ),( Hong Wei Gao ),( Ying Xia Tan ),( Feng Gong ),( Shou Ping Ji ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2016 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.26 No.6

RV-23 is a melittin-related antibacterial peptide (MRP) with lower cytotoxicity than either melittin or AR-23, another MRP. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism of RV- 23`s antibacterial selectivity and its hemocompatibility. The results showed that all the peptides exhibited lytic activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with RV-23 showing the highest potency. Moreover, RV-23 had lower cytotoxicity than melittin or AR-23 at their minimal inhibitory concentration. In addition, CD experiments showed that melittin, RV-23, and AR-23 all had a typical α-helical structure, and RV-23 had the lowest α-helix content. The structural information showed that RV-23 has the lowest hydrophobicity and highest hydrophobic moment. Because hydrophobicity and α-helix content are believed to correlate with hemolysis, the results indicate that the selective lytic activity against bacteria of RV-23 may be due to its low hydrophobicity and α-helicity, which lead to low cytotoxicity without affecting antibacterial activity. Furthermore, RV-23 did not affect the structure and function of blood components such as red blood cells, platelets, albumin, and the blood coagulation system. In conclusion, RV-23 is a cell-selective antibacterial peptide with high hemocompatibility due to its unique structure.

Controlled Secure Direct Communication by Using GHZ Entangled State

Yan XIA,Shou ZHANG,Chang-Bao FU,엄정인,Feng-Yue LI,연규황 한국물리학회 2005 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.47 No.3

We present a controlled secure direct communication protocol by using Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) entangled state via swapping quantum entanglement and local unitary operations. Since messages transferred only by using local operations and a public channel after entangled states are successfully distributed, this protocol can protect the communication against a destroying-travel-qubit-type attack. This scheme can also be generalized to a multi-party controlsystem.

Proteomic Profiles of Mouse Neuro N2a Cells Infected with Variant Virulence of Rabies Viruses

( Wang Xiao Hu ),( Shou Feng Zhang ),( Cheng Long Sun ),( Zi Guo Yuan ),( Xian Fu Wu ),( Dong Xia Wang ),( Zhuang Ding ),( Rong Liang Hu ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2011 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.21 No.4

We characterized the proteomes of murine N2a cells following infection with three rabies virus (RV) strains, characterized by distinct virulence phenotypes (i.e., virulent BD06, fixed CVS-11, and attenuated SRV9 strains), and identified 35 changes to protein expression using twodimensional gel electrophoresis in whole-cell lysates. The annotated functions of these proteins are involved in various cytoskeletal, signal transduction, stress response, and metabolic processes. Specifically, a-enolase, prx-4, vimentin, cytokine-induced apoptosis inhibitor 1 (CIAPIN1) and prx-6 were significantly up-regulated, whereas Trx like-1 and galectin-1 were down-regulated following infection of N2a cells with all three rabies virus strains. However, comparing expressions of all 35 proteins affected between BD06-, CVS-11-, and SRV9-infected cells, specific changes in expression were also observed. The up-regulation of vimentin, CIAPIN1, prx-4, and 14-3-3 θ/δ, and downregulation of NDPK-B and HSP-1 with CVS and SRV9 infection were ≥2 times greater than with BD06. Meanwhile, Zfp12 protein, splicing factor, and arginine/serine-rich 1 were unaltered in the cells infected with BD06 and CVS- 11, but were up-regulated in the group infected with SRV9. The proteomic alterations described here may suggest that these changes to protein expression correlate with the rabies virus`` adaptability and virulence in N2a cells, and hence provides new clues as to the response of N2a host cells to rabies virus infections, and may also aid in uncovering new pathways in these cells that are involved in rabies infections. Further characterization of the functions of the affected proteins may contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of RV infection and pathogenesis.