THE ACCURATE FALLING DETECTION SYSTEM FOR THE ELDERLY (AFDE)

Jie Ni Dorette Ong,Huijie Zhang,Vwen Yen Alwyn Lee,Clifton Phua,Kelvin Sim,Yan Liu,Xian Zhang 국제과학영재학회 2012 APEC Youth Scientist Journal Vol.4 No.-

Statistics have shown that falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths among people over the age of 75 and 55% of all falls take place in homes with most falls occurring in the bathroom. In this research, the aim of this project is to come up with a system that is able to detect falls in the washrooms, so that immediate medical aid can be provided so as to alleviate the aftereffects of the fall. Microsoft Visio was used to map the logic of the system which was then used in the creation of the rules for the system. Drools Rules is used to create a set of rules that gets input from the sensors detecting the motions of the patients, so as to infer the activities that are ongoing in order to check for errors. With input from the sensors, the set of rules should be able to determine the activity happening and possible errors that the input could imply. Simulations of real-li (Learn Not To Fall, 2009) scenarios were carried out twice. Errors and limitations of the system were noted during the simulation to further debug and improve the rules for a more robust and efficient system.

Experimental study on bubble size distribution of subcooled flow boiling in cylinder head of internal combustion engines

Jie Ni,Taotao Cao,Liuwendi Hou,Fei Dong 대한기계학회 2019 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.33 No.2

Subcooled flow boiling is becoming an efficient and widely used heat transfer approach in internal combustion engine cooling systems. Bubble evolution behaviors are crucial for understanding the mechanism of subcooled flow boiling. In this study, a diesel engine test platform equipped with endoscopic high-speed photography system was built to investigate the characteristics of boiling bubble. Under various inlet liquid subcoolings and flow rates, the mean bubble diameters and bubble size distributions were measured and analyzed based on the image processing techniques. Most of the bubbles approximated the spherical and ellipsoidal shapes. The bubble size was distributed between 1 and 2.5 mm, and the bubble diameters increased with the decrease of the inlet subcooling and flow rate. The flow rate had a more significant effect on the formation of large boiling bubbles.

SITUATION ASSESSMENT FOR LANE-CHANGING RISK BASED ON DRIVER’S PERCEPTION OF ADJACENT REAR VEHICLES

Jie Ni,Jinwen Han,Zhiqiang Liu,Fei Dong 한국자동차공학회 2020 International journal of automotive technology Vol.21 No.2

With advancements in sensors and communication technologies, hazardous lane-changing can be readily identified, by analyzing driving behavior and vehicle data. Most traditional approaches to assess hazardous lane-changing depend on surrogate safety measures, such as gap acceptance, minimum safe distance, and time-to-collision (TTC). Unlike these measures, which focus on statistical data or vehicle kinematics analysis, this study proposes a new method for assessing risk when a vehicle changes lane, based on the driver’s perception of adjacent rear vehicles. First, a driver model based on virtual spring theory is used to build a risk perception model. The proposed model realizes comprehensive assessment of risk by car-following parameter amendment when the adjacent vehicle cuts in. Second, model parameters are identified using the recursive maximum likelihood method. Third, the threshold-determining mechanism is established using a first-order grey prediction model, the threshold is adjusted online based on the driver’s braking data, and the information entropy is used to judge the rationality of threshold and search the optimal threshold. Finally, offline simulation of real vehicle test data is adopted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results show that the algorithm can adapt to individual differences, and performs better than TTC in evaluating hazardous lane-changing.

Novel Phage Display-Derived H5N1-Specific scFvs with Potential Use in Rapid Avian Flu Diagnosis

( Jie Wu ),( Xian Qiao Zeng ),( Hong Bin Zhang ),( Han Zhong Ni ),( Lei Pei ),( Li Rong Zou ),( Li Jun Liang ),( Xin Zhang ),( Jin Yan Lin ),( Chang Wen Ke ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.5

The highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) viruses of the H5N1 subtype infect poultry and have also been spreading to humans. Although new antiviral drugs and vaccinations can be effective, rapid detection would be more efficient to control the outbreak of infections. In this study, a phage-display library was applied to select antibody fragments for HPAI strain A/Hubei/1/2010. As a result, three clones were selected and sequenced. A hemagglutinin inhibition assay of the three scFvs revealed that none exhibited hemagglutination inhibition activity towards the H5N1 virus, yet they showed a higher binding affinity for several HPAI H5N1 strains compared with other influenza viruses. An ELISA confirmed that the HA protein was the target of the scFvs, and the results of a protein structure simulation showed that all the selected scFvs bound to the HA2 subunit of the HA protein. In conclusion, the three selected scFVs could be useful for developing a specific detection tool for the surveillance of HPAI epidemic strains.

Automatic cystocele severity grading in transperineal ultrasound by random forest regression

Ni, Dong,Ji, Xing,Wu, Min,Wang, Wenlei,Deng, Xiaoshuang,Hu, Zhongyi,Wang, Tianfu,Shen, Dinggang,Cheng, Jie-Zhi,Wang, Huifang Elsevier 2017 Pattern recognition Vol.63 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Cystocele is a woman disease that bladder herniates into vagina. Women with cystocele may have problem in urinating and higher risk of bladder infection. The treatment of cystocele highly depends on the severity. The cystocele severity is usually evaluated with the manual transperineal ultrasound measurement for the maximal distance between the bladder and the lower tip of symphysis pubis in the Valsalva maneuver. To improve the efficiency of the measurement, we propose a fully automatic scheme that can measure the distance between the two anatomic structures in each ultrasound image. The whole measurement scheme is realized with a two-phase random forest regression to infer the locations of the two structures in the images for the support of distance measurement. The experimental results suggest automatic distance measurements and the final grading by our random forest regression method are comparable to the measurements and grading scores from three medical doctors, and thus corroborate the efficacy of our method.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> First automatically computerized cystocele grading method on the transperineal ultrasound is developed in this study. </LI> <LI> The automatic cystocele grading on the transperineal ultrasound is realized with a two-phase random forest regression model. </LI> <LI> Auto-context features are helpful for our regression model to improve the cystocele grading results. </LI> </UL> </P>

Protein Kinase CK2 Modulates the Calcium Sensitivity of Type 3 Small-conductance Calcium-activated Potassium Channels in Colonic Platelet-derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha-positive Cells From Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Mice

Ni-Na Song,Xu Huang,Hong-Li Lu,Chen Lu,Jie Chen,Wen-Xie Xu 대한소화기 기능성질환∙운동학회 2023 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.29 No.2

Background/AimsThe gastrointestinal symptom of diabetes mellitus, chronic constipation, seriously affects patients’ life. Whereas, the mechanism of chronic constipation is still ambiguous, resulting in a lack of effective therapies for this symptom. As a part of the smooth muscle cells, interstitial cells of Cajal, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha-positive (PDGFRα+) cells syncytium (SIP syncytium), PDGFRα+ cells play an important role in regulating colonic motility. According to our previous study, in PDGFRα+ cells in colons of diabetic mice, the function of the P2Y1 purinergic receptor/type 3 small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK3) channel signaling pathway is strengthened, which may lead to colonic dysmotility. The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in SK3 channel properties of PDGFRα+ cells in diabetic mice. MethodsWhole-cell patch clamp, Western blotting, superoxide dismutase activity measurement, and malondialdehyde measurement were main methods in the present study. ResultsThe present study revealed that when dialysed with low calcium ion (Ca2+) solution, the SK3 current density was significantly decreased in PDGFRα+ cells from diabetic mice. However, the SK3 current density in PDGFRα+ cells was enhanced from diabetic mice when dialysed with high Ca2+ solution. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide-treatment mimicked this phenomenon in SK3 transgenic HEK293 cells. The subunit of SK3 channels, protein kinase CK2, was up-regulated in colonic muscle layers and hydrogen peroxide-treated HEK293 cells. Additionally, protein phosphatase 2A, the subunit of SK3 channels, was not changed in streptozotocin-treated mouse colons or hydrogen peroxide-treated HEK293 cells. ConclusionThe diabetic oxidative stress-induced upregulation of CK2 contributed to modulating SK3 channel sensitivity to Ca2+ in colonic PDGFRα+ cells, which may result in colonic dysmotility in diabetic mice.

Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy is Associated with in Situ Breast Cancer Risk

Ni, Xiao-Jian,Xia, Tian-Song,Zhao, Ying-Chun,Ma, Jing-Jing,Zhao, Jie,Liu, Xiao-An,Ding, Qiang,Zha, Xiao-Ming,Wang, Shui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Background: The relationship between postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) and invasive breast cancer has been extensively investigated, but that with breast carcinoma in situ (BCIS) has received relatively little attention. The aim of our present study was to review and summarize the evidence provided by longitudinal studies on the association between postmenopausal HT use and BCIS risk. Methods: A comprehensive literature search for articles published up to May 2012 was performed. Prior to performing a meta-analysis, the studies were evaluated for publication bias and heterogeneity. Relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) values were calculated using 14 reports (8 case-control studies and 6 cohort studies), published between 1986 and 2012. Results: There was evidence of an association between ever postmenopausal estrogen use and BCIS based on a random-effects model (RR = 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01, 1.55). However, we found no strong evidence of an association between ever postmenopausal estrogen combined with progesterone use and BCIS using a randomeffects model (RR = 1.55, 95% CI = 0.95, 2.51). Furthermore, our analysis showed a strong association between "> 5 years duration" of estrogen or estrogen combined with progesterone use and BCIS. Furthermore, current use of any HT is associated with increased risk of BCIS in cohort studies. Additional well-designed large studies are now required to validate this association in different populations.

Silica Aerogel/Potassium Hexatitanate Whisker Composite Coated Fabric for Metallurgical Protective Clothing

Jie Wang,Mengling Wang,Liuxiang Zhan,Ni Wang 한국섬유공학회 2023 Fibers and polymers Vol.24 No.1

Silica aerogel/potassium hexatitanate whisker composite coated fabric was successfully prepared by polyacrylate coating,which could further improve the thermal insulation property of the fabric and provide more efficient thermal protection. The results show that with the increase of the proportion of aerogel particles, the thermal insulation property of the coatedfabric first increases and then decreases. When the mass ratio of silica aerogel particles to potassium hexatitanate whisker is3:7, the composite coated fabric has the best thermal insulation performance with thermal conductivity of 0.232 W/(m·k). After the heat source irradiated the fabric, the temperature difference of the inner and outer of the coated fabric decreased by16.1 ℃ and 19.35 ℃, respectively, compared with the original fabric, and the composite coated fabric exhibited more than75% reflectivity in the near-infrared band. Also, in the test of resistance of the coated fabric to molten metal splash, afterthe coated fabric was poured with 250 g of molten aluminum, the surface of the coated fabric was not adhered by moltenaluminum, and the coated fabric was not burned through and remained intact in appearance, and the PVC film attached to theback of the coated fabric was not damaged, the surface texture of PVC film was clear, indicating that the composite coatedfabric has a good thermal protection effect.

Etoposide-Cisplatin Alternating with Vinorelbine-Cisplatin Versus Etoposide-Cisplatin Alone in Patients with Extensive Disease Combined with Small Cell Lung Cancer

Zhang, Jie,Qi, Hui-Wei,Zheng, Hui,Chen, Mo,Zhu, Jun,Xie, Hui-Kang,Ni, Jian,Xu, Jian-Fang,Zhou, Cai-Cun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.10

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of alternating etoposide-cisplatin and vinorelbine-cisplatin (EP-NP) compared with an etoposide-cisplatin (EP) regimen for advanced combined small cell carcinomas. Materials and Methods: Histologically confirmed combined small cell carcinoma patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned (1:1) into either the EP-NP setting (group A) or the EP setting (group B). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival in patients who received at least one dose of treatment. Results: Eighty-two patients entered into this trial, 42 in group A and 40 in group B. The objective response rates in group A and group B were 42.9% and 32.5%, respectively (p=0.334). Survival analysis showed that median progression-free survival was 6.1 months in group A, which was significantly longer than the 4.1 months in group B (p=0.041). However, as to overall survival, no significant difference was found between the two groups (11.0 vs 10.1 months in groups A and B, respectively, p=0.545). No unexpected side effects were observed in either group. Conclusions: The EP-NP regimen for combined small cell carcinomas prolonged progressio-nfree survival compared with the EP regimen. Further clinical investigations are warranted.

Functional Roles of Long Non-coding RNA in Human Breast Cancer

Ye, Ni,Wang, Bin,Quan, Zi-Fang,Cao, San-Jie,Wen, Xin-Tian,Huang, Yong,Huang, Xiao-Bo,Wu, Rui,Ma, Xiao-Ping,Yan, Qi-Gui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

The discovery of long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) changes our view of transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. With application of new research techniques such as high-throughput sequencing, the biological functions of LncRNAs are gradually becoming to be understood. Multiple studies have shown that LncRNAs serve as carcinogenic factors or tumor suppressors in breast cancer with abnormal expression, prompts the question of whether they have potential value in predicting the stages and survival rate of breast cancer patients, and also as therapeutic targets. Focusing on the latest research data, this review mainly summarizes the tumorigenic mechanisms of certain LncRNAs in breast cancer, in order to provide a theoretical basis for finding safer, more effective treatment of breast cancer at the LncRNA molecular level.