Al-Fatlawi, AH, Ling, SH & Lam, HK 2014, 'A Comparison of Neural Classifiers for Graffiti Recognition', Journal of Intelligent Learning Systems and Applications, vol. 06, no. 02, pp. 94-112.
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Aliev, G, Shahida, K, Gan, S, Firoz, CK, Khan, A, Abuzenadah, A, Kamal, W, Kamal, M, Tan, Y, Qu, X & Reale, M 2014, 'Alzheimer Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: The Link to Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Probable Nutritional Strategies', CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 467-477.
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Alzheimer disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are chronic health disorders that affect millions of people around the world. According to recent studies, there are molecular similarities in the inflammatory pathways involved in both AD and T2DM, which opens a new avenue for researchers with different perspectives to target the cause of these diseases rather than their obvious symptoms. Several links between inflammation, cardiovascular disease, T2DM and central nervous system disorders such as AD and Parkinson's disease have been elucidated. Mutations in the hippocampal-β-amyloid precursor protein gene in genetically high-risk individuals have been shown to cause the early onset of AD symptoms. The overexpression of β-amyloid protein in the hippocampal region and the synaptotoxicity that occurs as a result have been considered a typical feature of AD and leads to neuronal loss and cognitive decline. However, the identity of the cellular components that cause the late onset of the disease seen in the majority of the cases is still unknown. Synaptic insults associated with neuronal dysfunction may involve several cascades and molecules, one of which has been hypothesized to be tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The axons of the noradrenergic cells that project to the hippocampus appear to be affected by the β-amyloid protein, which subsequently contributes to TH loss in Alzheimer brain cells. In this review, we attempt to shed light on the important mechanisms involved in AD as well as T2DM such as inflammatory factors, abnormalities in the insulin signaling system and the possible role of the endocrine enzyme TH.
Alkhouri, H, Poppinga, WJ, Tania, NP, Ammit, A & Schuliga, M 2014, 'Regulation of pulmonary inflammation by mesenchymal cells', Pulmonary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 156-165.
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© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Pulmonary inflammation and tissue remodelling are common elements of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and pulmonary hypertension (PH). In disease, pulmonary mesenchymal cells not only contribute to tissue remodelling, but also have an important role in pulmonary inflammation. This review will describe the immunomodulatory functions of pulmonary mesenchymal cells, such as airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells and lung fibroblasts, in chronic respiratory disease. An important theme of the review is that pulmonary mesenchymal cells not only respond to inflammatory mediators, but also produce their own mediators, whether pro-inflammatory or pro-resolving, which influence the quantity and quality of the lung immune response. The notion that defective pro-inflammatory or pro-resolving signalling in these cells potentially contributes to disease progression is also discussed. Finally, the concept of specifically targeting pulmonary mesenchymal cell immunomodulatory function to improve therapeutic control of chronic respiratory disease is considered.
Alkhouri, H, Rumzhum, NN, Rahman, MM, FitzPatrick, M, de Pedro, M, Oliver, BG, Bourke, JE & Ammit, AJ 2014, 'TLR2 activation causes tachyphylaxis to beta(2)-agonists in vitro and ex vivo: modelling bacterial exacerbation', ALLERGY, vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 1215-1222.
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Background Asthma is a widespread chronic health problem exacerbated by common viral and bacterial infections. Further research is required to understand how infection worsens asthma control in order to advance therapeutic options in the future. Recent research has revealed that β2- Adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) agonists lose bronchodilatory efficacy because the receptor-mediated molecular pathways responsible for their beneficial actions are desensitized by infection. To date, most studies have focussed on viral infection, leaving the impact of bacterial infection on β2-AR desensitization relatively under-investigated. We address this in this study. Methods and Results Utilizing an in vitro model of bacterial exacerbation in airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells, we show that activation of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2; mimicking bacterial infection) in the presence of an inflammatory stimulus leads to β2-AR desensitization. This occurs via TLR2-dependent upregulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) mRNA expression and increased secretion of PGE2. Importantly, PGE 2 causes heterologous β2-AR desensitization and reduces cAMP production in response to short-Acting (salbutamol) and long-Acting (formoterol) β2-Agonists. Thus, bacterial infectious stimuli act in a PGE2-dependent manner to severely curtail the beneficial actions of β2-Agonists. The impact of β2-AR desensitization is demonstrated by reduced gene expression of the critical anti-inflammatory molecule MKP-1 in response to β2-Agonists, as well as impaired bronchodilation in a mouse lung slices. Conclusions Taken together, our results show that, like viruses, bacteria induce prostanoid-dependent β2-AR desensitization on ASM cells. Notably, COX-2 inhibition with the specific inhibitor celecoxib represses PGE2 secretion, presenting a feasible pharmacological option for treatment of infectious exacerbation in asthma in the future. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Al-Odat, I, Chen, H, Chan, YL, Amgad, S, Wong, MG, Gill, A, Pollock, C & Saad, S 2014, 'The Impact of Maternal Cigarette Smoke Exposure in a Rodent Model on Renal Development in the Offspring', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. e103443-e103443.
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This study aimed to investigate whether maternal cigarette smoke exposure can disrupt fetal kidney development by changing the expression of growth and transcription factors essential for renal development, and thereafter predispose the offspring to chronic kidney disease later in life. Female Balb/c mice (6 weeks) were exposed either to cigarette smoke or air under identical conditions, 6 weeks prior to mating, during gestation and during lactation. Male offspring were sacrificed at three time points, postnatal day (P)1, P20 (weaning age), and 13 weeks (mature age). Blood, urine, and kidneys were collected for analysis. At P1, the developmental genes fibroblast growth factor 2, glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor and paired box 2 were upregulated at mRNA and protein levels; whilst fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 7 and FGF10 were downregulated. At P20, mRNA expression of FGF2, FGF10 and Wingless-type 4 was upregulated by maternal smoke exposure. These changes were normalised in adulthood. Nephron development was delayed, with fewer nephron numbers from P1 persisted to adulthood; while glomerular volume was increased at P20 but reduced in adulthood. Pro-inflammatory marker monocyte chemoatractant protein 1 (MCP1) was increased in the kidney by maternal smoke exposure. These changes were accompanied by an increased albumin/creatinine ratio in adulthood, suggesting reduced renal dysfunction. In conclusion maternal cigarette smoke exposure prior to and during pregnancy, as well as lactation leads to significant renal underdevelopment and functional abnormalities in adulthood. This study confirms the hypothesis that maternal smoking predisposes offspring to chronic kidney disorders. © 2014 Al-Odat et al.
Andon, P, Free, C & Sivabalan, P 2014, 'The legitimacy of new assurance providers: Making the cap fit', ACCOUNTING ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIETY, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 75-96.
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Apeh, E, Gabrys, B & Schierz, A 2014, 'Customer profile classification: To adapt classifiers or to relabel customer profiles?', Neurocomputing, vol. 132, pp. 3-13.
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Customer profiles are, by definition, made up of factual and transactional data. It is often the case that due to reasons such as high cost of data acquisition and/or protection, only the transactional data are available for data mining operations. Transactional data, however, tend to be highly sparse and skewed due to a large proportion of customers engaging in very few transactions. This can result in a bias in the prediction accuracy of classifiers built using them. The problem is even more so when identifying and classifying changing customer profiles whose classification may change either due to a concept drift or due to a change in buying behaviour. This paper presents a comparative investigation of 4 approaches for classifying dynamic customer profiles built using evolving transactional data over time. The changing class values of the customer profiles were analysed together with the challenging problem of deciding whether to change the class label or adapt the classifier. The results from the experiments we conducted on a highly sparse and skewed real-world transactional data show that adapting the classifiers leads to more stable classification of customer profiles in the shorter time windows; while relabelling the changed customer profile classes leads to more accurate and stable classification in the longer time windows. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
Apps, MG, Ammit, AJ, Gu, A & Wheate, NJ 2014, 'Analysis of montmorillonite clay as a vehicle in platinum anticancer drug delivery', Inorganica Chimica Acta, vol. 421, pp. 513-518.
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As a proof-of-concept study, the platinum anticancer complex [(1,10-phenanthroline)(1S,2S-diaminocyclohexane)platinum(II)]chloride, PHENSS, was loaded into montmorillonite (MMT) clay to evaluate its utility as a drug delivery vehicle. Loading is complete within one hour and the total amount of PHENSS that can be loaded into the clay is based on the PHENSS solution concentration in which the MMT is suspended. From a PHENSS solution concentration of 30 mM, a maximum loading of 0.257 mmol per gram of MMT can be achieved. The pH of the solution also has an effect with a solution pH of 6 giving maximum loading of PHENSS. Metal complex release from the MMT was examined using the dialysis bag and dispersion methods. PHENSS is incompletely released from MMT; after 4 h just 47% has been released from the clay using the dialysis method and 30% using the dispersion method. The release is also very fast with a half-life of just 10-16 min. The MMT was shown to have a negative effect on the in vitro cytotoxicity of PHENSS in the human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, presumably due to the incomplete release of the metal complex from the clay. Overall the results demonstrate that MMT is not a suitable slow release vehicle for PHENSS, although it may still be of use to other platinum complexes and drugs. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Aquilina, P, Parr, WCH, Chamoli, U, Wroe, S & Clausen, P 2014, 'A Biomechanical Comparison of Three 1.5-mm Plate and Screw Configurations and a Single 2.0-mm Plate for Internal Fixation of a Mandibular Condylar Fracture', Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 218-223.
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The most stable pattern of internal fixation for mandibular condyle fractures is an area of ongoing discussion. This study investigates the stability of three patterns of plate fixation using readily available, commercially pure titanium implants. Finite element models of a simulated mandibular condyle fracture were constructed. The completed models were heterogeneous in bone material properties, contained approximately 1.2 million elements and incorporated simulated jaw adducting musculature. Models were run assuming linear elasticity and isotropic material properties for bone. No human subjects were involved in this investigation. The stability of the simulated condylar fracture reduced with the different implant configurations, and the von Mises stresses of a 1.5-mm X-shaped plate, a 1.5-mm rectangular plate, and a 1.5-mm square plate (all Synthes (Synthes GmbH, Zuchwil, Switzerland) were compared. The 1.5-mm X plate was the most stable of the three 1.5-mm profile plate configurations examined and had comparable mechanical performance to a single 2.0-mm straight four-hole plate. This study does not support the use of rectangular or square plate patterns in the open reduction and internal fixation of mandibular condyle fractures. It does provide some support for the use of a 1.5-mm X plate to reduce condylar fractures in selected clinical cases.
Arsene, CTC & Gabrys, B 2014, 'Mixed simulation-state estimation of water distribution systems based on a least squares loop flows state estimator', Applied Mathematical Modelling, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 599-619.
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This paper presents combined simulation and state estimation algorithm for water distribution systems based on the loop corrective flows and the variation of nodal demands as independent variables and it optimizes the Least Squares (LS) criterion. The combination of the two algorithms for simulation and state estimation is based on the delimitation of regions in the water network that are state estimated while for the remaining parts of the water network the simulation task is realized. The sizes of the respective delimitations can be based either on the hydraulic or topological distances from the real pressure measurements, flow measurements or measured nodal consumptions. The delimitations are realized through modifications of the inverse of the upper form tree incidence matrix which is used in order to construct the respective state estimated or simulated water network areas: the simulated nodes and pipes have the corresponding incidence columns zeroed in the inverse of the upper form tree incidence matrix while the state estimated nodes and pipes keep the values of their incidence described in the corresponding columns of the inverse of the upper form tree incidence matrix. The combined novel algorithm can be also applied to regions of water distribution systems which contain low pipe flows so that to avoid any convergence problems in the numerical algorithm. It results an efficient and effective novel mixed simulation-state estimation which is implemented on realistic water distribution systems. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.
Ashrafinia, F, Mirmohammadali, M, Rajabi, H, Kazemnejad, A, SadeghniiatHaghighi, K, Amelvalizadeh, M & Chen, H 2014, 'The effects of Pilates exercise on sleep quality in postpartum women', Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 190-199.
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Prolonged poor sleeping quality can decrease women's ability to perform their maternal and family duties after delivery. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a Pilates training program on sleep quality in primigravida postpartum women in a randomized clinical trial. Eighty postpartum women were randomly divided into intervention and control groups (n=40). Home-based 30-min Pilate's exercises were started 72h after the delivery and performed five times per week for consecutive 8 weeks. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) prior to the intervention and 4th and 8th weeks afterwards. The intervention group showed a significant improvement in subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, daytime dysfunction and global PSQI score (P<0.001); however, there was no difference in sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency and sleep disturbance between the groups. In conclusion, Pilates exercises appeared to improve sleep quality in primigravida postpartum women. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Aubry, A, Hausswirth, C, Louis, J, Coutts, AJ & Le Meur, Y 2014, 'Functional Overreaching: The Key to Peak Performance during the Taper?', MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE, vol. 46, no. 9, pp. 1769-1777.
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PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine whether performance supercompensation during taper is maximized in endurance athletes after experiencing overreaching during an overload training (OT) period. METHODS: Thirty-three trained male triathletes were assigned to either OT (n = 23) or normal training groups (n = 10, CTL) during 8 wk. Cycling performance and maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O2max) were measured after 1 wk of moderate training, a 3-wk period of OT, and then each week during 4-wk taper. RESULTS: Eleven of the 23 subjects from the OT group were diagnosed as functionally overreached (F-OR) after the overload period (decreased performance with concomitant high perceived fatigue), whereas the 12 other subjects were only acutely fatigued (AF) (no decrease in performance). According to qualitative statistical analysis, the AF group demonstrated a small to large greater peak performance supercompensation than the F-OR group (2.6% ± 1.1%) and the CTL group (2.6% ± 1.6%). V̇O2max increased significantly from baseline at peak performance only in the CTL and AF groups. Of the peak performances, 60%, 83%, and 73% occurred within the two first weeks of taper in CTL, AF, and OR, respectively. Ten cases of infection were reported during the study with higher prevalence in F-OR (70%) than that in AF (20%) and CTL (10%). CONCLUSION: This study showed that 1) greater gains in performance and V̇O2max can be achieved when higher training load is prescribed before the taper but not in the presence of F-OR; 2) peak performance is not delayed during taper when heavy training loads are completed immediately prior; and 3) F-OR provides higher risk for training maladaptation, including increased infection risks. © 2014 by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Azcue-Puma, JL, Sguarezi Filho, AJ & Ruppert, E 2014, 'The Fuzzy Logic-Based Stator-Flux-Oriented Direct Torque Control for Three-Phase Asynchronous Motor', Journal of Control, Automation and Electrical Systems, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 46-54.
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The main purpose of this article is to explore the relationship of two existing conditions for the triangular decoupling problem. The first one is the triangular-diagonal-dominance condition proposed by Hung and Anderson. The second one is the stable coprime factorisation-described condition proposed by Gomez and Goodwin, which has been proven as a necessary and sufficient condition for the triangular decoupling problem. This article proves that the two conditions are actually equivalent. It also provides easy-to-use criteria for assessment of the solvability of the triangular decoupling problem.
Bajan, S & Hutvagner, G 2014, 'Regulation of miRNA Processing and miRNA Mediated Gene Repression in Cancer', MicroRNA, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 10-17.
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The majority of human protein-coding genes are predicted to be targets of miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. The widespread influence of miRNAs is illustrated by their essential roles in all biological processes. Regulated miRNA expression is essential for maintaining cellular differentiation; therefore alterations in miRNA expression patterns are associated with several diseases, including various cancers. High-throughput sequencing technologies revealed low level expressing miRNA isoforms, termed isomiRs. IsomiRs may differ in sequence, length, target preference and expression patterns from their parental miRNA and can arise from differences in miRNA biosynthesis, RNA editing, or SNPs inherent to the miRNA gene. The association between isomiR expression and disease progression is largely unknown. Misregulated miRNA expression is thought to contribute to the formation and/or progression of cancer. However, due to the diversity of targeted transcripts, miRNAs can function as both tumor-suppressor genes and oncogenes as defined by cellular context. Despite this, miRNA profiling studies concluded that the differential expression of particular miRNAs in diseased tissue could aid the diagnosis and treatment of some cancers.
Ballerin, G, Ong, HX, Morgan, L, Oliver, B, Scalia, S, Young, PM & Traini, D 2014, 'THE EFFECTS OF SALBUTAMOL SULPHATE AND MANNITOL ON CILIARY BEAT FREQUENCY: A COMBINED THERAPY FOR MUCUS HYPER-SECRETION IN PULMONARY DISEASES', JOURNAL OF AEROSOL MEDICINE AND PULMONARY DRUG DELIVERY, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. A15-A16.
Banville, N, Burgess, JK, Jaffar, J, Tjin, G, Richeldi, L, Cerri, S, Persiani, E, Black, JL & Oliver, BG 2014, 'A Quantitative Proteomic Approach to Identify Significantly Altered Protein Networks in the Serum of Patients with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)', PLOS ONE, vol. 9, no. 8.
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Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare and progressive cystic lung condition affecting approximately 3.4-7.5/million women, with an average lag time between symptom onset and diagnosis of upwards of 4 years. The aim of this work was to identify altered proteins in LAM serum which may be potential biomarkers of disease. Serum from LAM patient volunteers and healthy control volunteers were pooled and analysis carried out using quantitative 4-plex iTRAQ technology. Differentially expressed proteins were validated using ELISAs and pathway analysis was carried out using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Fourteen proteins were differentially expressed in LAM serum compared to control serum (p<0.05). Further screening validated the observed differences in extracellular matrix remodelling proteins including fibronectin (30% decrease in LAM, p = 0.03), von Willebrand Factor (40% reduction in LAM, p = 0.03) and Kallikrein III (25% increase in LAM, p = 0.03). Pathway networks elucidated the relationships between the ECM and cell trafficking in LAM. This study was the first to highlight an imbalance in networks important for remodelling in LAM, providing a set of novel potential biomarkers. These understandings may lead to a new effective treatment for LAM in the future. © 2014 Banville et al.
Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Biomimetics and Marine Materials in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering: From Natural Role Models to Bone Regeneration', Key Engineering Materials, vol. 587, pp. 229-232.
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During the last two decades learning from nature has given us new directions for the use of natural organic and inorganic skeletons, drug delivery devices, new medical treatment methods initiating unique designs and devices ranging from nanoto macro scale. These materials and designs have been instrumental to introduce the simplest remedies to vital problems in regenerative medicine, providing frameworks and highly accessible sources of osteopromotive analogues, naofibres, micro and macrospheres and mineralising proteins. This is exemplified by the biological effectiveness of marine structures such as corals and shells and sponge skeletons to house self-sustaining musculoskeletal tissues and to the promotion of bone formation by extracts of spongin and nacre seashells. Molecules pivotal to the regulation and guidance of bone morphogenesis and particularly the events in mineral metabolism and deposition similarly exist in the earliest marine organisms because they represent the first molecular components established for calcification, morphogenesis and wound healing. It emerges that bone morphogenic protein (BMP) molecules-the main cluster of bone growth factors for human bone morphogenesis-are secreted by endodermal cells into the developing skeleton. Signalling proteins, TGF and Wnt-prime targets in bone therapeutics-are present in early marine sponge development. Furthermore, ready-made organic and inorganic marine skeletons possess a habitat suitable for proliferating added mesenchymal stem cell populations and promoting clinically acceptable bone formation. In this paper we review the nature, morphology and extent of this association and use of these structures for bone grafts, drug delivery and extracts such as proteins for regenerative medicine. As an example, in human biology a study of matrix vesicles will teach us valuable lessons on how proteins are captured and coated; and how the vesicle is able to dock and fuse with their target. We...
Bilsborough, JC, Greenway, K, Opar, D, Livingstone, S, Cordy, J & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'The accuracy and precision of DXA for assessing body composition in team sport athletes', JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES, vol. 32, no. 19, pp. 1821-1828.
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This study determined the precision of pencil and fan beam dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) devices for assessing body composition in professional Australian Football players. Thirty-six professional Australian Football players, in two groups (fan DXA, N = 22; pencil DXA, N = 25), underwent two consecutive DXA scans. A whole body phantom with known values for fat mass, bone mineral content and fat-free soft tissue mass was also used to validate each DXA device. Additionally, the criterion phantom was scanned 20 times by each DXA to assess reliability. Test-retest reliability of DXA anthropometric measures were derived from repeated fan and pencil DXA scans. Fat-free soft tissue mass and bone mineral content from both DXA units showed strong correlations with, and trivial differences to, the criterion phantom values. Fat mass from both DXA showed moderate correlations with criterion measures (pencil: r = 0.64; fan: r = 0.67) and moderate differences with the criterion value. The limits of agreement were similar for both fan beam DXA and pencil beam DXA (fan: fat-free soft tissue mass = -1650 ± 179 g, fat mass = -357 ± 316 g, bone mineral content = 289 ± 122 g; pencil: fat-free soft tissue mass = -1701 ± 257 g, fat mass = -359 ± 326 g, bone mineral content = 177 ± 117 g). DXA also showed excellent precision for bone mineral content (coefficient of variation (%CV) fan = 0.6%; pencil = 1.5%) and fat-free soft tissue mass (%CV fan = 0.3%; pencil = 0.5%) and acceptable reliability for fat measures (%CV fan: fat mass = 2.5%, percent body fat = 2.5%; pencil: fat mass = 5.9%, percent body fat = 5.7%). Both DXA provide precise measures of fat-free soft tissue mass and bone mineral content in lean Australian Football players. DXA-derived fat-free soft tissue mass and bone mineral content are suitable for assessing body composition in lean team sport athletes.
Borges, TO, Bullock, N, Duff, C & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'METHODS FOR QUANTIFYING TRAINING IN SPRINT KAYAK', JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 474-482.
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The aims of this study were to determine the validity of the session-RPE method by comparing three different scales of perceived exertion to common measures of training load (TL). A secondary aim was to verify the relationship between training loads, fitness and performance in Sprint Kayak athletes. Following laboratory assessment of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and lactate threshold, the athletes performed on water time trials over 200 and 1000-m. TL was quantified for external (distance and speed) and internal (session-RPE: 6-20, CR-10 and CR-100 scales, TRIMP and iTRIMP). Ten (six male, four female) well-trained junior Sprint Kayak athletes (age 17.1 +/-1.2 years; VO2peak 4.2 +/-0.7 L[middle dot]min-1) were monitored over a seven-week period. There were large-to-very large within-individual correlations between session the distance and the various HR and RPE-based methods for quantifying TL (0.58 to 0.91). Correlations between mean session speed and various HR and RPE-based methods for quantifying TL were small-to-large (0.12 to 0.50). The within-individual relationships between the various objective and subjective methods of internal TL were large-to-very large (0.62 to 0.94). Moderate-to-large inverse relationships were found between mean session-RPE TL and various aerobic fitness variables (-0.58 to -0.37). Large-to-very large relationships were found between mean session-RPE TL and on water performance (0.57 to 0.75). In conclusion, session-RPE is a valid method for monitoring TL for junior Sprint Kayak athletes, regardless of the RPE scale is used. The session-RPE TL relate to fitness and performance, supporting the use of session-RPE in Sprint Kayak training.
Brandl, MB, Pasquier, E, Li, F, Beck, D, Zhang, S, Zhao, H, Kavallaris, M & Wong, STC 2014, 'Computational analysis of image-based drug profiling predicts synergistic drug combinations: Applications in triple-negative breast cancer', MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY, vol. 8, no. 8, pp. 1548-1560.
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An imaged-based profiling and analysis system was developed to predict clinically effective synergistic drug combinations that could accelerate the identification of effective multi-drug therapies for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer and other challenging malignancies. The identification of effective drug combinations for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) was achieved by integrating high-content screening, computational analysis, and experimental biology. The approach was based on altered cellular phenotypes induced by 55 FDA-approved drugs and biologically active compounds, acquired using fluorescence microscopy and retained in multivariate compound profiles. Dissimilarities between compound profiles guided the identification of 5 combinations, which were assessed for qualitative interaction on TNBC cell growth. The combination of the microtubule-targeting drug vinblastine with KSP/Eg5 motor protein inhibitors monastrol or ispinesib showed potent synergism in 3 independent TNBC cell lines, which was not substantiated in normal fibroblasts. The synergistic interaction was mediated by an increase in mitotic arrest with cells demonstrating typical ispinesib-induced monopolar mitotic spindles, which translated into enhanced apoptosis induction. The antitumour activity of the combination vinblastine/ispinesib was confirmed in an orthotopic mouse model of TNBC. Compared to single drug treatment, combination treatment significantly reduced tumour growth without causing increased toxicity. Image-based profiling and analysis led to the rapid discovery of a drug combination effective against TNBC in vitro and in vivo, and has the potential to lead to the development of new therapeutic options in other hard-to-treat cancers.
Buettner, TFS, Kabakova, IV, Hudson, DD, Pant, R, Poulton, CG, Judge, AC & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'Phase-locking in Multi-Frequency Brillouin Oscillator via Four Wave Mixing', Scientific Reports, vol. 4.
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Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and Kerr-nonlinear four wave-mixing(FWM) are among the most important and widely studied nonlinear effects inoptical fibres. At high powers SBS can be cascaded producing multiple Stokeswaves spaced by the Brillouin frequency shift. Here, we investigate the complexnonlinear interaction of the cascade of Stokes waves, generated in aFabry-Perot chalcogenide fibre resonator through the combined action of SBS andFWM. We demonstrate the existence of parameter regimes, in which pump andStokes waves attain a phase-locked steady state. Real-time measurements of 40pspulses with 8GHz repetition rate are presented, confirming short-and long-termstability. Numerical simulations qualitatively agree with experiments and showthe significance of FWM in phase-locking of pump and Stokes waves. Our findingscan be applied for the design of novel picosecond pulse sources with GHzrepetition rate for optical communication systems.
Büttner, TFS, Merklein, M, Kabakova, IV, Hudson, DD, Choi, D-Y, Luther-Davies, B, Madden, SJ & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'Phase-locked, chip-based, cascaded stimulated Brillouin scattering', Optica, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 311-311.
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Carter, DR, Buckle, AD, Tanaka, K, Perdomo, J & Chong, BH 2014, 'Art27 Interacts with GATA4, FOG2 and NKX2.5 and Is a Novel Co-Repressor of Cardiac Genes', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. e95253-e95253.
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Cegla, R-NR, Macha, IJ, Ben-Nissan, B, Grossin, D, Heness, G & Chung, R-J 2014, 'Comparative Study of Conversion of Coral with Ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate and Orthophosphoric Acid to Produce Calcium Phosphates', JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 154-161.
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Biogenic materials like corals, which are readily available, could be used to produce bioceramic materials and address significant advantages due to their unique structures and chemical compositions that contain Mg and Sr. Many conversion processes has been in the past proposed. In this work, a comparison study between the conversion of coral with orthophosphoric acid and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate was conducted. The resultant structures and compositions were studied using XRD, ICP-MS, SEM and FTIR. The results show that with phosphoric acid the coral was converted into mainly monetite (92%). The ammonium dihydrogen phosphate converted approximately 76% of the coral to hydroxyapatite through solid state reactions. The two routes proved to be effective in producing bioceramic materials from corals under moderate conditions of temperature with a basic condition favouring the yield of hydroxyapatite.
Chacon, D, Beck, D, Perera, D, Wong, JWH & Pimanda, JE 2014, 'BloodChIP: a database of comparative genome-wide transcription factor binding profiles in human blood cells', Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 42, no. D1, pp. D172-D177.
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The BloodChIP database (http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/CRCWeb.nsf/page/ BloodChIP) supports exploration and visualization of combinatorial transcription factor (TF) binding at a particular locus in human CD34-positive and other normal and leukaemic cells or retrieval of target gene sets for user-defined combinations of TFs across one or more cell types. Increasing numbers of genome-wide TF binding profiles are being added to public repositories, and this trend is likely to continue. For the power of these data sets to be fully harnessed by experimental scientists, there is a need for these data to be placed in context and easily accessible for downstream applications. To this end, we have built a user-friendly database that has at its core the genome-wide binding profiles of seven key haematopoietic TFs in human stem/progenitor cells. These binding profiles are compared with binding profiles in normal differentiated and leukaemic cells. We have integrated these TF binding profiles with chromatin marks and expression data in normal and leukaemic cell fractions. All queries can be exported into external sites to construct TF-gene and protein-protein networks and to evaluate the association of genes with cellular processes and tissue expression. © 2013 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press.
Chai, R, Ling, SH, Hunter, GP, Tran, Y & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'Brain-Computer Interface Classifier for Wheelchair Commands Using Neural Network With Fuzzy Particle Swarm Optimization', IEEE JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATICS, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 1614-1624.
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© 2013 IEEE. This paper presents the classification of a three-class mental task-based brain-computer interface (BCI) that uses the Hilbert-Huang transform for the features extractor and fuzzy particle swarm optimization with cross-mutated-based artificial neural network (FPSOCM-ANN) for the classifier. The experiments were conducted on five able-bodied subjects and five patients with tetraplegia using electroencephalography signals from six channels, and different time-windows of data were examined to find the highest accuracy. For practical purposes, the best two channel combinations were chosen and presented. The three relevant mental tasks used for the BCI were letter composing, arithmetic, and Rubik's cube rolling forward, and these are associated with three wheelchair commands: left, right, and forward, respectively. An additional eyes closed task was collected for testing and used for on-off commands. The results show a dominant alpha wave during eyes closure with average classification accuracy above 90%. The accuracies for patients with tetraplegia were lower compared to the able-bodied subjects; however, this was improved by increasing the duration of the time-windows. The FPSOCM-ANN provides improved accuracies compared to genetic algorithm-based artificial neural network (GA-ANN) for three mental tasks-based BCI classifications with the best classification accuracy achieved for a 7-s time-window: 84.4% (FPSOCM-ANN) compared to 77.4% (GA-ANN). More comparisons on feature extractors and classifiers were included. For two-channel classification, the best two channels were O1 and C4, followed by second best at P3 and O2, and third best at C3 and O2. Mental arithmetic was the most correctly classified task, followed by mental Rubik's cube rolling forward and mental letter composing.
Chamoli, U, Chen, AS & Diwan, AD 2014, 'Interpedicular kinematics in an in vitro biomechanical assessment of a bilateral lumbar spondylolytic defect', Clinical Biomechanics, vol. 29, no. 10, pp. 1108-1115.
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Chamoli, U, Chen, AS & Diwan, AD 2014, 'Letters', Spine, vol. 39, no. 11, pp. 921-921.
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Chamoli, U, Diwan, AD & Tsafnat, N 2014, 'Pedicle screw‐based posterior dynamic stabilizers for degenerative spine: In vitro biomechanical testing and clinical outcomes', Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, vol. 102, no. 9, pp. 3324-3340.
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AbstractDynamic stabilization in a degenerate symptomatic spine may be advantageous compared with conventional fusion procedures, as it helps preserve motion and minimizes redistribution of loads at instrumented and adjacent segments. This article presents a systematic review of biomechanical and clinical evidence available on some of the pedicle screw based posterior dynamic stabilization (PDS) devices. Using Medline, Embase, and Scopus online databases, we identified four pedicle‐screw‐PDS devices for which both, biomechanical testing and clinical follow‐up data are available: Graf artificial ligaments, Isobar TTL, Polyetheretherketone rods, and Dynesys. The current state‐of‐the‐art of pedicle‐screw‐PDS devices is far from achieving its desired biomechanical efficacy, which has resulted in a weak support for the posited clinical benefits. Although pedicle‐screw‐PDS devices are useful in salvaging a moderately degenerate functionally suboptimal disc, for severe disc degeneration cases fusion is still the preferred choice. We conclude that a pedicle‐screw‐PDS device should aim at restoring load sharing amongst spinal elements while preserving the qualitative and quantitative nature of spinal motion, especially minimize posterior shift of the helical axis of motion. More precise and objective assessment techniques need to be standardized for in vivo evaluation of intervertebral motion and load sharing amongst spinal elements across different pedicle‐screw‐PDS devices. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 102A: 3324–3340, 2014.
Chan, MY, Center, JR, Eisman, JA & Nguyen, TV 2014, 'Bone mineral density and association of osteoarthritis with fracture risk', Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 1251-1258.
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Chan, MY, Frost, SA, Center, JR, Eisman, JA & Nguyen, TV 2014, 'Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Fracture Risk Is Mediated by Bone Mineral Density', Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, vol. 29, no. 11, pp. 2327-2335.
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ABSTRACT The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and fracture risk is controversial. We sought to investigate the effect of collinearity between BMI and bone mineral density (BMD) on fracture risk, and to estimate the direct and indirect effect of BMI on fracture with BMD being the mediator. The study involved 2199 women and 1351 men aged 60 years or older. BMI was derived from baseline weight and height. Femoral neck BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; GE-LUNAR, Madison, WI, USA). The incidence of fragility fracture was ascertained by X-ray reports from 1991 through 2012. Causal mediation analysis was used to assess the mediated effect of BMD on the BMI-fracture relationship. Overall, 774 women (35% of total women) and 258 men (19%) had sustained a fracture. Approximately 21% of women and 20% of men were considered obese (BMI ≥ 30). In univariate analysis, greater BMI was associated with reduced fracture risk in women (hazard ratio [HR] 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85 to 0.99) and in men (HR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.88). After adjusting for femoral neck BMD, higher BMI was associated with greater risk of fracture in women (HR 1.21; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.31) but not in men (HR 0.96; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.11). Collinearity had minimal impact on the BMD-adjusted results (variance inflation factor [VIF] = 1.2 for men and women). However, in mediation analysis, it was found that the majority of BMI effect on fracture risk was mediated by femoral neck BMD. The overall mediated effect estimates were −0.048 (95% CI, −0.059 to −0.036; p < 0.001) in women and −0.030 (95% CI, −0.042 to −0.018; p < 0.001) in men. These analyses suggest that there is no significant direct effect of BMI on fracture, and that the observed association between BMI and fracture risk is mediated by femoral neck BMD in both m...
Chan, RJ, Phillips, J & Currow, D 2014, 'Do palliative care health professionals settle for low-level evidence?', PALLIATIVE MEDICINE, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 8-9.
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Invited editorial
Chan, RJ, Webster, J, Phillips, J & Currow, DC 2014, 'The withdrawal of the Liverpool Care Pathway in the United Kingdom: what are the implications for Australia?', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 200, no. 10, pp. 573-573.
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Integrated care pathways are documents that outline the essential steps of multidisciplinary care in dealing with a specific clinical problem.1 They can be used to introduce best clinical practice, to ensure that the most appropriate management occurs at the most appropriate time, and that it is provided by the most appropriate health professional. By providing clear instructions, decision support and a framework for clinician–patient interactions, care pathways guide the systematic provision of best evidence-based care. The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) is an example of an integrated care pathway — it was designed in the United Kingdom in the 1990s to guide care for people with cancer who were in their last days of life and expected to die in hospital.2,3 This pathway evolved out of a recognised local need to better support non-specialist palliative care providers to care for patients dying of cancer in their inpatient units. Historically, despite the many people in acute care settings whose treatment intent was palliative,4 dying patients in these settings tended to receive insufficient attention from senior medical and nursing staff.5 As the quality of end-of-life care was considered inadequate, much could be learned from the way patients were cared for by palliative care services.5 The LCP was a strategy to improve this end-of-life care and was based on the care received by those dying in the palliative care setting.2,3
Che, W, Parmentier, J, Seidel, P, Manetsch, M, Ramsay, EE, Alkhouri, H, Ge, Q, Armour, CL & Ammit, AJ 2014, 'Corticosteroids Inhibit Sphingosine 1-Phosphate–Induced Interleukin-6 Secretion from Human Airway Smooth Muscle via Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Phosphatase 1–Mediated Repression of Mitogen and Stress-Activated Protein Kinase 1', American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 358-368.
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Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid that plays an important proinflammatory role in asthmatic airways. Corticosteroids are first-line antiinflammatories in asthma; however, their repressive effects on S1P-induced cytokine secretion have not been investigated. To address this, our in vitro study reveals the molecular mechanisms by which corticosteroids inhibit S1P-induced IL-6 expression in the pivotal immunomodulatory cell type, airway smooth muscle (ASM). We first uncover the cellular signaling pathways responsible: S1P activates a cyclic adenosine monophosphate/cAMP response-element-binding protein (CREB)/CRE-dependent pathway to induce IL-6 transcription, concomitant with stimulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) superfamily and downstream mitogen and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1) and histone H3 phosphorylation. In this way, S1P stimulates parallel signaling pathways to induce IL-6 secretion via CRE-driven transcription of the IL-6 gene promoter in a relaxed chromatin environment achieved through histone H3 phosphorylation. Second, we investigated how corticosteroids mediate their repressive effects. The corticosteroid dexamethasone inhibits S1P-induced IL-6 protein secretion and mRNA expression, but CREB/CRE transrepression, inhibition of IL-6 mRNA stability, or subcellular relocation of MSK1 were not responsible for the repressive effects of dexamethasone. Rather, we show that dexamethasone rapidly induces up-regulation of the MAPK deactivator MAPK phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) and that MKP-1 blocks the MAPK-driven activation of MSK1 and phosphorylation of histone H3. This was confirmed by treatment with triptolide, an inhibitor of MKP-1 up-regulation, where repressive effects of corticosteroids were reversed. Our study reveals the molecular mechanism underlying the antiinflammatory capacity of corticosteroids to repress proinflammatory functions induced by the potent bioactive sphingolipid S1P in the lung.
Chen, L, Ge, Q, Tjin, G, Alkhouri, H, Deng, L, Brandsma, C-A, Adcock, I, Timens, W, Postma, D, Burgess, JK, Black, JL & Oliver, BGG 2014, 'Effects of cigarette smoke extract on human airway smooth muscle cells in COPD', European Respiratory Journal, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 634-646.
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We hypothesised that the response to cigarette smoke in airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells from smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would be intrinsically different from smokers without COPD, producing greater pro-inflammatory mediators and factors relating to airway remodelling. ASM cells were obtained from smokers with or without COPD, and then stimulated with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) or transforming growth factor-β1. The production of chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were measured by ELISA, and the deposition of collagens by extracellular matrix ELISA. The effects of CSE on cell attachment and wound healing were measured by toluidine blue attachment and cell tracker green wound healing assays. CSE increased the release of CXCL8 and CXCL1 from human ASM cells, and cells from smokers with COPD produced more CSE-induced CXCL1. The production of MMP-1, -3 and -10, and the deposition of collagen VIII alpha 1 (COL8A1) were increased by CSE, especially in the COPD group which had higher production of MMP-1 and deposition of COL8A1. CSE decreased ASM cell attachment and wound healing in the COPD group only. ASM cells from smokers with COPD were more sensitive to CSE stimulation, which may explain, in part, why some smokers develop COPD. Copyright ©ERS 2014.
Chen, Y, Qi, Y, Yan, X, Ma, H, Chen, J, Liu, B & Xue, Q 2014, 'Green fabrication of porous chitosan/graphene oxide composite xerogels for drug delivery', Journal of Applied Polymer Science, vol. 131, no. 6, pp. n/a-n/a.
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ABSTRACTPorous chitosan (CS)/graphene oxide (GO) composite xerogels were prepared through a simple and “green” freeze‐drying method. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, powder X‐ray diffraction, and compressive strength measurements were performed to characterize the microstructures and mechanical properties of as‐prepared composite xerogels. The results show that the incorporation of GO resulted in an observable change in the porous structure and an obvious increase in the compressive strength. The abilities of the composite xerogels to absorb and slowly release an anticancer drug, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), in particular, the influence of different GO contents, were investigated systematically. The porous CS/GO composite xerogels exhibited efficient DOX‐delivery ability, and both the adsorption and slow‐release abilities increased obviously with increasing GO content. Additionally, the best adsorption concentration of DOX was 0.2 mg/mL, and the cumulative release percentage of DOX from the xerogels at pH4 much higher than that at pH 7.4. Therefore, such porous CS/GO composite xerogels could be promising materials as postoperation implanting stents for the design of new anticancer drug‐release carriers. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014, 131, 40006.
Choi, AH & Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Advancement of sol-gel technology and nanocoatings in Australia', Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 121-136.
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Sol-gel technology offers efficient and high purity production of nano powders, fibres, solid structures and thin film coatings. Due to the amount of past work in all these production processes, in this review we will cover mainly the advancements of the nanocoatings. Nanocoatings present the possibility of altering the surface properties of the base or substrate material to improve its bioactivity, corrosion and wear resistance, reliability, and performance. Sol-gel processing is a versatile and attractive technique since it can be utilized to fabricate ceramic coatings from solutions by chemical means. The sol-gel process is relatively easy to perform and complex shapes can be coated economically, and it has also been demonstrated that the nanocrystalline grain structure of sol-gel coatings improves mechanical properties. Other advantages unique to sol-gel include the production of a homogeneous material, since mixing takes place on the atomic scale, and its relatively low processing temperature avoids decomposition of the coating materials and limits the damage to the substrate material as a result of exposure to elevated temperatures.
Choi, AH, Conway, RC & Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Finite-element modeling and analysis in nanomedicine and dentistry', Nanomedicine, vol. 9, no. 11, pp. 1681-1695.
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This article aims to provide a brief background to the current applications of finite-element analysis (FEA) in nanomedicine and dentistry. FEA was introduced in orthopedic biomechanics in the 1970s in order to assess the stresses and deformation in human bones during functional loadings and in the design and analysis of implants. Since then, it has been applied with great frequency in orthopedics and dentistry in order to analyze issues such as implant design, bone remodeling and fracture healing, the mechanical properties of biomedical coatings on implants and the interactions at the bone–implant interface. More recently, FEA has been used in nanomedicine to study the mechanics of a single cell and to gain fundamental insights into how the particulate nature of blood influences nanoparticle delivery.
Chou, J, Hao, J, Kuroda, S, Ben-Nissan, B, Milthopre, B & Otsuka, M 2014, 'Bone regeneration of calvarial defect using marine calcareous-derived beta-tricalcium phosphate macrospheres', Journal of Tissue Engineering, vol. 5, pp. 204173141452344-204173141452344.
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The aim of this study was to examine the bone regeneration properties of beta-tricalcium phosphate hydrothermally converted from foraminifera carbonate exoskeleton in the repair of rat calvarial defect. These natural materials possess unique interconnected porous network with uniform pore size distribution, which can be potentially advantageous. In total, 20 adult male Wistar rats received full-thickness calvarial defect with a diameter of 5 mm. The rate of newly formed bone was measured radiologically by X-ray and micro-computed tomography and by histologic examination. After 2 weeks, the beta-tricalcium phosphate group exhibited full closure of the defect site, while control group remained unrestored at the end of the 6-week experimentation. It was observed that the newly regenerated bone thickened over the course of the experiment in the beta-tricalcium phosphate group. No soft tissue reaction was observed around the beta-tricalcium phosphate implant and the rats remained healthy. These results showed that repair of the calvarial defect can be achieved by biomimetic beta-tricalcium phosphate macrospheres, which hold potential for application as bone grafts for bone augmentation surgeries.
Chou, J, Valenzuela, S, Green, DW, Kohan, L, Milthorpe, B, Otsuka, M & Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Antibiotic delivery potential of nano- and micro-porous marine structure-derived β-tricalcium phosphate spheres for medical applications', Nanomedicine, vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 1131-1139.
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Aims: This study gives a detailed evaluation of the antibiotic potential of a marine structure-based new drug delivery system produced by hydrothermally converting foraminifera exoskeletons to β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) to treat clinical strain Staphylococcus aureus (MW2). Materials & methods: Foraminifera precursor materials were hydrothermally converted at 250°C for 48 h to produce β-TCP and loaded with gentamicin sulfate by adsorption for 24 h. The physicochemical properties of the material were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, powder x-ray diffraction and for pore size distribution profiles. The antibacterial efficacy of the system was tested for inhibition of S. aureus growth and in vitro cellular behavior were tested with human osteoblast cells (MG63) for cell viability. Discussion: Pore size distribution profiles showed that the structure allows the uniform distribution of nanopores of 1.5 nm and micropores of approximately 5 µm. The in vitro release profile indicates an initial burst release of 5% of total incorporated gentamicin. A time-delayed antibacterial efficacy test was designed to introduce the bacteria at predetermined time intervals from 0 to 60 min and showed that gentamicin prevents S. aureus grown in the same culture within 30 min, with no evidence of bacterial regrowth within 24 h. Human osteoblast cell (MG63) studies showed no detrimental effect on cell viability. Conclusion: In the light of these results nano- and micro-pores containing β-TCP spheres show promise as potential bone void filler particles with antibacterial effects.Original submitted 7 February 2013; Revised submitted 9 May 2013
Chou, J, Valenzuela, SM, Santos, J, Bishop, D, Milthorpe, B, Green, DW, Otsuka, M & Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Strontium- and magnesium-enriched biomimeticβ-TCP macrospheres with potential for bone tissue morphogenesis', Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 771-778.
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Clark, K, Byfieldt, N, Green, M, Saul, P, Lack, J & Philips, JL 2014, 'Dying in two acute hospitals: would usual care meet Australian national clinical standards?', Australian Health Review, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 223-223.
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The Australian Commission for Quality and Safety in Health Care (ACQSHC) has articulated 10 clinical standards with the aim of improving the consistency of quality healthcare delivery. Currently, the majority of Australians die in acute hospitals. But despite this, no agreed standard of care exists to define the minimum standard of care that people should accept in the final hours to days of life. As a result, there is limited capacity to conduct audits that focus on the gap between current care and recommended care. There is, however, accumulating evidence in the end of life literature to define which aspects of care are likely to be considered most important to those people facing imminent death. These themes offer standards against which to conduct audits. This is very apt given the national recommendation that healthcare should be delivered in the context of considering people’s wishes while always treating people with dignity and respect.This work describes a gap analysis undertaken to explore if issues defined as important by people facing imminent death would have been addressed by usual care of the dying in general hospital wards. The specific issues examined included the documentation that was available to define that this person was likely to die soon and how engaged the person dying seemed to be in discussions, how the person was monitored to ensure distressing symptoms were addressed when necessary and what investigations were considered necessary after the time the person was identified as dying.Although retrospective, the review highlights that usual care would not meet people’s wishes, suggesting that care of the dying would not meet the ACQSHC standard entitled ‘Partnering with consumers’. An alternative model is needed.What is known about the topic?The majority of Australians die in acute hospitals. Despite this, there is no agreed Australian evidence-based, clinical standard to define best practice as to what constitutes...
Collocott, SJ, Watterson, PA, Tan, XH & Xu, H 2014, 'The peak in anomalous magnetic viscosity', JOURNAL OF MAGNETISM AND MAGNETIC MATERIALS, vol. 360, pp. 118-125.
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Anomalous magnetic viscosity, where the magnetization as a function of time exhibits non-monotonic behaviour, being seen to increase, reach a peak, and then decrease, is observed on recoil lines in bulk amorphous ferromagnets, for certain magnetic prehistories. A simple geometrical approach based on the motion of the state line on the Preisach plane gives a theoretical framework for interpreting non-monotonic behaviour and explains the origin of the peak. This approach gives an expression for the time taken to reach the peak as a function of the applied (or holding) field. The theory is applied to experimental data for bulk amorphous ferromagnet alloys of composition Nd 60-x Fe 30 Al 10 Dy x , x = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, and it gives a reasonable description of the observed behaviour. The role played by other key magnetic parameters, such as the intrinsic coercivity and fluctuation field, is also discussed. When the non-monotonic behaviour of the magnetization of a number of alloys is viewed in the context of the model, features of universal behaviour emerge, that are independent of alloy composition. © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Evolution of football match analysis research', JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES, vol. 32, no. 20, pp. 1829-1830.
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Coutts, AJ 2014, 'In the Age of Technology, Occam's Razor Still Applies', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 741-741.
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An important role of sport scientists is to drive innovation with the expectation that this will translate to a competitive advantage. To achieve this, many have taken to the early adoption and integration of technology into daily practices, with the belief that it will translate to better performance.
Coutts, AJ, Kempton, T & Vaeyens, R 2014, 'Relative age effects in Australian Football League National Draftees', JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES, vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 623-628.
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This study examined the birth distribution for adolescent (i.e. <20 years) and mature age players (i.e. =20 years) selected in the Australian Football League (AFL) National Draft between 2001 and 2012. Birth-date information was accessed for all first time AFL national draftees and players were then classified as either adolescent (N = 736) or mature age (N = 70) draftees. Chi-squared analysis showed a clear bias in the birth distribution of adolescent draftees towards players born in the first part of the classification period for both quartile (P < 0.001) and half-year (P < 0.001) compared to the Australian national population. There was a reverse relative age effect (RAE) for mature age draftees, with a significant bias towards players born in the latter part of the selection period for both quartile (P = 0.047) and half-year (P = 0.028) compared to the Australian national population. The selection bias towards relatively older players in adolescent AFL draftees may be related to advanced physical and psychological maturity, and exposure to higher-level coaching compared to their younger counterparts. The reverse RAE in mature age draftees is a novel finding and supports the need for strategies to encourage continued participation pathways for talented Australian football players born later in the selection year
Cranfield, CG, Cornell, BA, Grage, SL, Duckworth, P, Carne, S, Ulrich, AS & Martinac, B 2014, 'Transient Potential Gradients and Impedance Measures of Tethered Bilayer Lipid Membranes: Pore-Forming Peptide Insertion and the Effect of Electroporation', BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, vol. 106, no. 1, pp. 182-189.
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In this work, we present experimental data, supported by a quantitative model, on the generation and effect of potential gradients across a tethered bilayer lipid membrane (tBLM) with, to the best of our knowledge, novel architecture. A challenge to generating potential gradients across tBLMs arises from the tethering coordination chemistry requiring an inert metal such as gold, resulting in any externally applied voltage source being capacitively coupled to the tBLM. This in turn causes any potential across the tBLM assembly to decay to zero in milliseconds to seconds, depending on the level of membrane conductance. Transient voltages applied to tBLMs by pulsed or ramped direct-current amperometry can, however, provide current-voltage (I/V) data that may be used to measure the voltage dependency of the membrane conductance. We show that potential gradients >~150 mV induce membrane defects that permit the insertion of pore-forming peptides. Further, we report here the novel (to our knowledge) use of real-time modeling of conventional low-voltage alternating-current impedance spectroscopy to identify whether the conduction arising from the insertion of a polypeptide is uniform or heterogeneous on scales of nanometers to micrometers across the membrane. The utility of this tBLM architecture and these techniques is demonstrated by characterizing the resulting conduction properties of the antimicrobial peptide PGLa.
Darcy, S, Dickson, TJ & Benson, AM 2014, 'London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: Including Volunteers with Disabilities—A Podium Performance?', Event Management, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 431-446.
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This article presents an examination of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games' volunteers who identified as having access needs and/or disabilities. The methodology draws upon data collected as part of a larger quantitative mixed method research design through an online survey that included open-ended questions. The quantitative element of the online survey was framed by the Special Event Volunteer Motivation Scale together with sociodemographic questions supplemented by disability and access specific questions. The qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses of the experiences of people with disability was framed using the UK government's Office of Disability Issues (ODI) policy conceptualization of the barriers affecting the access and inclusion of people with disability. A small number of volunteers related feedback consistent with the principles of the ODI best practice through good staff support and overall positive experiences. However, other experiences indicate significant organizational, environmental, and structural issues faced by volunteers with disability in the program. The implications of these findings for future event planning processes and broader macropolicy considerations are discussed.
Darcy, S, Maxwell, H, Edwards, M, Onyx, J & Sherker, S 2014, 'More than a sport and volunteer organisation: Investigating social capital development in a sporting organisation', SPORT MANAGEMENT REVIEW, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 395-406.
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© 2014 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. This paper presents the findings of a study that examines the development of social capital within an Australian sporting organisation, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA). The study draws on the social capital literature across the not-for-profit sector and specific sport management social capital research. The research design incorporated an interpretive approach with data collected nationally from eight focus groups with key SLSA staff, board members and 'toes in the sand' volunteers. The findings provide fresh insights into the development and understanding of social capital within a sporting organisation. Both bonding and bridging were important social capital outcomes of the organisation's activities, albeit with important implications for antecedents and process. The data presented strong evidence for arguing that within the organisation bonding within the club comes first, which importantly provides a very strong sense of belonging and mutual support for club members, from volunteers through to the board. The strength of bonding provides a powerful base for subsequent bridging capital to the local, regional and national stakeholder communities that are associated with the organisation. Further, social capital develops in both the collective and individual, with leveraging of individual skills contributing to human capital development, which is closely connected to and inseparable from social capital. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical implications for social capital generally and social capital in a sporting context.
Deprez, D, Coutts, AJ, Lenoir, M, Fransen, J, Pion, J, Philippaerts, R & Vaeyens, R 2014, 'Reliability and validity of the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 in young soccer players', JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES, vol. 32, no. 10, pp. 903-910.
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The present study investigated the test-retest reliability from the Yo-Yo IR1 (distance and heart rate responses), and the ability of the Yo-Yo IR1 to differentiate between elite and non-elite youth soccer players. A total of 228 youth soccer players (1117 years) participated: 78 non-elite players to examine the test-retest reliability within 1 week, added with 150 elite players to investigate the construct validity. The main finding was that the distance covered was adequately reproducible in the youngest age groups (U13 and U15) and highly reproducible in the oldest age group (U17). Also, the physiological responses were highly reproducible in all age groups. Moreover, the Yo-Yo IR1 test had a high-discriminative ability to distinguish between elite and non-elite young soccer players. Furthermore, age-related standards for the Yo-Yo IR1 established for elite and non-elite groups in this study may be used for comparison of other young soccer players.
Diffner, E, Beck, D, Gudgin, E, Thoms, JAI, Knezevic, K, Pridans, C, Foster, S, Goode, D, Khong Lim, W, Boelen, L, Metzeler, KH, Micklem, G, Bohlander, SK, Buske, C, Burnett, A, Ottersbach, K, Vassiliou, GS, Olivier, J, Wong, JWH, Gottgens, B, Huntly, BJ & Pimanda, JE 2014, 'Diffner E, Beck D, Gudgin E, et al. Activity of a heptad of transcription factors is associated with stem cell programs and clinical outcome in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood. 2013;121(12):2289-2300.', Blood, vol. 123, no. 18, pp. 2901-2901.
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Domínguez Vila, T, Darcy, S & Alén, E 2014, 'Juegos olímpicos y paralímpicos en Brasil: aprendiendo de Barcelona y Sidney', Revista de Administração de Empresas, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 222-230.
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Entre 2014 y 2016, Brasil será sede de numerosos eventos, donde se destaca la celebración de las Olimpiadas en Rio de Janeiro. La industria del turismo será una de las grandes beneficiadas, teniendo como objetivo duplicar el número de turistas, 10 millones en 2016, y generar oportunidades de negocios. Esta investigación plantea el análisis de dicha meta a través de dos elementos vinculados a las Olimpíadas, el legado y la apertura a nuevos segmentos de turistas, concretamente el turismo sénior y el accesible. Se llevará a cabo un análisis de contenido de la bibliografía existente sobre Río 2016 para determinar el estado del arte, y posteriormente se realizará un estudio de caso de las Olimpíadas de Barcelona y Sídney, con el objetivo de obtener las claves del éxito de su legado y la repercusión a nivel turístico. Esto posibilitará identificar los pasos a seguir por Brasil para alcanzar su objetivo turístico.
Fanchini, M, Castagna, C, Coutts, AJ, Schena, F, McCall, A & Impellizzeri, FM 2014, 'Are the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test levels 1 and 2 both useful? Reliability, responsiveness and interchangeability in young soccer players', JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCES, vol. 32, no. 20, pp. 1950-1957.
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© 2014, © 2014 Taylor & Francis. Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the reliability, internal responsiveness and interchangeability of the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YY1), level 2 (YY2) and submaximal YY1 (YY1-sub). Twenty-four young soccer players (age 17 ± 1 years; height 177 ± 7 cm; body mass 68 ± 6 kg) completed each test five times within pre- and in-season; distances covered and heart rates (HRs) were measured. Reliability was expressed as typical error of measurement (TEM) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Internal responsiveness was determined as effect size (ES) and signal-to-noise ratio (ESTEM). Interchangeability was determined with correlation between training-induced changes. The TEM and ICC for distances in the YY1 and YY2 and for HR in YY1-sub were 7.3% and 0.78, 7.1% and 0.93 and 2.2% and 0.78, respectively. The ESs and ESTEMs were 0.9 and 1.9 for YY1, 0.4 and 1.2 for YY2 and −0.3 and −0.3 for YY1-sub. Correlations between YY1 vs. YY2 and YY1-sub were 0.56 to 0.84 and −0.36 to −0.81, respectively. Correlations between change scores in YY1 vs. YY2 were 0.29 and −0.21 vs. YY1-sub. Peak HR was higher in YY1 vs. YY2. The YY1 and YY2 showed similar reliability; however, they were not interchangeable. The YY1 was more responsive to training compared to YY2 and YY1-sub.
Favaloro, J, Liyadipitiya, T, Brown, R, Yang, S, Suen, H, Woodland, N, Nassif, N, Hart, D, Fromm, P, Weatherburn, C, Gibson, J, Ho, PJ & Joshua, D 2014, 'Myeloid derived suppressor cells are numerically, functionally and phenotypically different in patients with multiple myeloma', LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA, vol. 55, no. 12, pp. 2893-2900.
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© 2014 Informa UK, Ltd. Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of cells that have been implicated as inhibitors of lymphopoiesis in patients with malignancies. They have a consensus phenotype of CD33+/CD11b+/HLA-DRlo/-and can be further divided into CD15 + granulocytic (G-MDSC) and CD14 + monocytic (M-MDSC) subsets. We characterized MDSCs in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and found a significant increase in G-MDSCs in the blood of patients with progressive MM. Flow-sorted MDSCs from patients with MM induced the generation of regulatory T cells (Treg). MDSCs from both patients with MM and aged-matched controls demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation in carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-tracking experiments. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) administered to induce stem cell mobilization caused an increase in the number of MDSCs in the peripheral blood of patients with MM and a concentration of these immune-suppressive cells in peripheral blood stem cell collections. MDSCs are likely to cause immune dysfunction in patients with MM.
Fong, S, Deb, S, Yang, X-S & Li, J 2014, 'Feature Selection in Life Science Classification: Metaheuristic Swarm Search', IT Professional, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 24-29.
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Foster, C, Seiler, S, Coutts, A, Halson, S, Impellizzeri, F, de Koning, J, Leithäuser, RM, McGuigan, M, Mujika, I, Pyne, D & Beneke, R 2014, 'Bengt Saltin—A Role Model for More than a Generation of Scientists', International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 897-898.
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Fox, B, Hodgkinson, B & Parker, D 2014, 'The effects of physical exercise on functional performance, quality of life, cognitive impairment and physical activity levels for older adults aged 65 years and older with a diagnosis of dementia: a systematic review', JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 158-276.
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Froggatt, K & Parker, D 2014, 'Guest Editorial: Development of palliative care in long term‐care facilities: a new evidence base', International Journal of Older People Nursing, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 91-92.
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Galougahi, KK, Liu, C, Gentile, C, Kok, C, Nunez, A, Garcia, A, Fry, NAS, Davies, MJ, Hawkins, CL, Rasmussen, HH & Figtree, GA 2014, 'Glutathionylation Mediates Angiotensin II–Induced eNOS Uncoupling, Amplifying NADPH Oxidase‐Dependent Endothelial Dysfunction', Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 3, no. 2.
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Background Glutathionylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase ( eNOS ) “uncouples” the enzyme, switching its function from nitric oxide (NO) to O 2 •− generation. We examined whether this reversible redox modification plays a role in angiotensin II (Ang II)‐induced endothelial dysfunction. Methods and Results Ang II increased eNOS glutathionylation in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), rabbit aorta, and human arteries in vitro. This was associated with decreased NO bioavailability and eNOS activity as well as increased O 2 •− generation. Ang II‐induced decrease in eNOS activity was mediated by glutathionylation, as shown by restoration of function by glutaredoxin‐1. Moreover, Ang II‐induced increase in O 2 •− and decrease in NO were abolished in HUVECs transiently transfected, with mutant eNOS rendered resistant to glutathionylation. Ang II effects were nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase dependent because preincubation with gp 91ds‐tat, an inh...
Ganda, K, Nguyen, TV & Pocock, N 2014, 'Gender disparity in BMD conversion: a comparison between Lunar and Hologic densitometers', Archives of Osteoporosis, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-8.
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Female-derived inter-conversion and standardised BMD equations at the lumbar spine and hip have not been validated in men. This study of 110 male subjects scanned on Hologic and Lunar densitometers demonstrates that published equations may not applicable to men at the lumbar spine. Male inter-conversion equations have also been derived.Currently, available equations for inter-manufacturer conversion of bone mineral density (BMD) and calculation of standardised BMD (sBMD) are used in both males and females, despite being derived and validated only in women. Our aim was to test the validity of the published equations in men.One hundred ten men underwent lumbar spine (L2-4), femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH) dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using Hologic and Lunar scanners. Hologic BMD was converted to Lunar using published equations derived from women for L2-4 and FN. Actual Lunar BMD (A-Lunar) was compared to converted (Lunar equivalent) Hologic BMD values (H-Lunar). sBMD was calculated separately using Hologic (sBMD-H) and Lunar BMD (sBMD-L) at L2-4, FN and TH. Conversion equations in men for Hologic to Lunar BMD were derived using Deming regression analysis.There was a strong linear correlation between Lunar and Hologic BMD at all skeletal sites. A-Lunar BMD was however significantly higher than derived H-Lunar BMD (p < 0.001) at L2-L4 (mean difference, 0.07 g/cm(2)). There was no significant difference at the FN (mean difference, 0.01 g/cm(2)). sBMD-L at the spine was significantly higher than sBMD-H (mean difference, 0.06 g/cm(2), p < 0.001), whilst there was little difference at the FN and TH (mean difference, 0.01 g/cm(2)).Published conversion equations for Lunar BMD to Hologic BMD, and formulae for lumbar spine sBMD, derived in women may not be applicable to men.
Gay, V & Leijdekkers, P 2014, 'Design of emotion-aware mobile apps for autistic children', Health and Technology, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 21-26.
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Sensor technologies and facial expression recognition are now widely used by mobile devices to sense our environment and our own physical and mental state. With these technologies today, we have the ability to sense emotions and create emotion-aware apps. One target group that would benefit from emotion-aware Apps are autistic children as they have difficulty understanding and expressing emotions and they are keen mobile device users. However, current mobile apps aimed at autistic children are not emotion-aware. This led our team to design a suite of Apps, called CaptureMyEmotion, that uses wireless sensors to capture physiological data together with facial expression recognition to provide a very personalised way to help autistic children and their carers understanding and managing their emotions. This paper describes how we designed CaptureMyEmotion and it discusses our experience while using sensors and facial expression recognition to detect emotion. It presents in more details the first App we developed for Android phone and tablets, called MyMedia. MyMedia enables children to take photos, videos or sounds, and simultaneously attach emotion data to them. The photos can then be reviewed together with a carer providing them a new way to understand emotions and discussing their daily activities.
Gentile, C, Drake, CJ, Figtree, G & Davies, MJ 2014, 'Post-Transcriptional Regulation of eNOS and SNitrosylation of Cell Cycle-Related Proteins in Human Endothelial Cells', Free Radical Biology and Medicine, vol. 76, pp. S43-S44.
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Ghous, H, Kennedy, PJ, Ho, N & Catchpoole, DR 2014, 'Comparing Functional Visualisations of Lists of Genes using Singular Value Decomposition', Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 47-76.
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Progress in understanding core pathways of cancer requires analysis of many genes. New insights arehampered due to the lack of tools to make sense of large lists of genes identifi ed using high throughputtechnology. Data mining, particularly visualisation that fi nds relationships between genes and the GeneOntology (GO), can assist in functional understanding. This paper addresses the question using GOannotations for functional understanding of genes. We augment genes with GO terms using two similaritymeasures: a Hop-based measure and an Information Content based measure, and visualise with SingularValue Decomposition (SVD). The results demonstrate that SVD visualisation of GO augmented genesmatches the biological understanding expected in simulated and real-life data. Diff erences are observed invisualisation of GO terms, where the information content method produces more tightly-packed clustersthan the hop-based method.
Golzan, SM, Butlin, M, Kouchaki, Z, Gupta, V, Avolio, A & Graham, SL 2014, 'Characterizing dynamic properties of retinal vessels in the rat eye using high speed imaging', Microvascular Research, vol. 92, pp. 56-61.
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PURPOSE: The dynamic properties of retinal vessels including pulse wave propagation and pulsatility index provide new perspective in retinal hemodynamic analysis. In this study we utilize a high speed imaging system to capture these characteristics in the rat eye for the first time. METHODS: Retinal video images of 9 Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were captured at a rate of 250 frames per second for 10s with a 50° field of view using a high speed camera (Optronis, Kehl, Germany). Two recordings were taken from each rat at the same sites for repeatability analysis. The electrocardiogram (ECG) was measured simultaneously with retinal images. Arterial retinal pulse wave velocity (rPWV) and arterial/venous pulse amplitude were calculated from recorded images. Arterial measurements were repeated in another normotensive strain of the same age (Sprague-Dawley, n=4). RESULTS: The average WKY rPWV was 11.4 ± 6.1 cm/s. The differences between repeated measures were not significant (-2.8 ± 2.9 cm/s, p=0.2). Sprague-Dawley animals had a similar rPWV (9.8 ± 2.2 cm/s, p=0.61). The average arterial and venous pulse amplitude was 7.1 ± 1.5 μm and 8.2 ± 2.0 μm respectively. There was a positive correlation between rPWV and heart rate in the WKY groups (r(2)=0.32). A positive correlation was also obtained between arterial and venous diameter and their pulse amplitude (r(2)=0.67 and r(2)=0.37 respectively). CONCLUSION: rPWV was associated with heart rate. Higher pulsation amplitude was also correlated with larger vessel diameter. High speed imaging of retinal vessels in the rat eye provides an accurate and robust method to study dynamic characteristics of these vessels and their relationship with ocular and systemic abnormalities.
Gomes, RV, Moreira, A, Coutts, AJ, Capitani, CD & Aoki, MS 2014, 'Effect of Carbohydrate Supplementation on the Physiological and Perceptual Responses to Prolonged Tennis Match Play', JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 735-741.
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Carbohydrate supplementation is a popular nutritional practice used in tennis to enhance physical capacities, motor-skill performance, and delay fatigue. However, the effects of carbohydrate supplementation on physiological and perceptual responses during tennis match play are not established. This double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study was designed to determine the influence of carbohydrate supplementation (0.5g*kg-1*h-1) on glycemia, salivary hormones (cortisol and testosterone) concentration, salivary IgA concentration and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during 3 h of tennis match play in 12 well trained tennis players. The only significant difference between the two conditions was a lower salivary cortisol concentration post-match in the carbohydrate trial (p<0.05); however, there was a trend for higher glucose concentration (p = 0.06) and lower session-RPE (p = 0.08) following tennis match play in the carbohydrate condition, which may have some practical implications. There was no change in salivary testosterone, salivary IgA and RPE responses during tennis match play between conditions (p>0.05). These data indicate that carbohydrate ingestion during 3 h of competitive tennis match play helps to maintain glycemia and attenuates the increase in salivary cortisol concentration compared to placebo.
Goodswen, SJ, Kennedy, PJ & Ellis, JT 2014, 'Discovering a vaccine against neosporosis using computers: is it feasible?', TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY, vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 401-411.
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Goodswen, SJ, Kennedy, PJ & Ellis, JT 2014, 'Enhancing In Silico Protein-Based Vaccine Discovery for Eukaryotic Pathogens Using Predicted Peptide-MHC Binding and Peptide Conservation Scores', PLOS ONE, vol. 9, no. 12.
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Goodswen, SJ, Kennedy, PJ & Ellis, JT 2014, 'Vacceed: a high-throughput in silico vaccine candidate discovery pipeline for eukaryotic pathogens based on reverse vaccinology', BIOINFORMATICS, vol. 30, no. 16, pp. 2381-2383.
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Summary: We present Vacceed, a highly configurable and scalable framework designed to automate the process of high-throughput in silico vaccine candidate discovery for eukaryotic pathogens. Given thousands of protein sequences from the target pathogen as input, the main output is a ranked list of protein candidates determined by a set of machine learning algorithms. Vacceed has the potential to save time and money by reducing the number of false candidates allocated for laboratory validation. Vacceed, if required, can also predict protein sequences from the pathogen's genome. © The Author 2014.
Gorle, AK, Ammit, AJ, Wallace, L, Keene, FR & Collins, JG 2014, 'Multinuclear ruthenium(ii) complexes as anticancer agents', New J. Chem., vol. 38, no. 9, pp. 4049-4059.
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The dinuclear ruthenium complex with X = H is four-times more cytotoxic than cisplatin against breast cancer cell lines; however, when X = NO2 the ruthenium complex is less active than cisplatin.
Grafton, KT, Moir, LM, Black, JL, Hansbro, NG, Hansbro, PM, Burgess, JK & Oliver, BG 2014, 'LF-15 & T7, Synthetic Peptides Derived from Tumstatin, Attenuate Aspects of Airway Remodelling in a Murine Model of Chronic OVA-Induced Allergic Airway Disease', PLOS ONE, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-6.
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Background: Tumstatin is a segment of the collagen-IV protein that is markedly reduced in the airways of asthmatics. Tumstatin can play an important role in the development of airway remodelling associated with asthma due to its antiangiogenic properties. This study assessed the anti-angiogenic properties of smaller peptides derived from tumstatin, which contain the interface tumstatin uses to interact with the aVb3 integrin. Methods: Primary human lung endothelial cells were exposed to the LF-15, T3 and T7 tumstatin-derived peptides and assessed for cell viability and tube formation in vitro. The impact of the anti-angiogenic properties on airways hyperresponsiveness (AHR) was then examined using a murine model of chronic OVA-induced allergic airways disease. Results: The LF-15 and T7 peptides significantly reduced endothelial cell viability and attenuated tube formation in vitro. Mice exposed to OVA+ LF-15 or OVA+T7 also had reduced total lung vascularity and AHR was attenuated compared to mice exposed to OVA alone. T3 peptides reduced cell viability but had no effect on any other parameters. Conclusion: The LF-15 and T7 peptides may be appropriate candidates for use as novel pharmacotherapies due to their small size and anti-angiogenic properties observed in vitro and in vivo. © 2014 Grafton et al.
Gunduz, O, Sahin, YM, Agathopoulos, S, Ben-Nissan, B & Oktar, FN 2014, 'A New Method for Fabrication of Nanohydroxyapatite and TCP from the Sea SnailCerithium vulgatum', Journal of Nanomaterials, vol. 2014, pp. 1-6.
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Biphasic bioceramic nanopowders of hydroxyapatite (HA) andβ-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) were prepared from shells of the sea snailCerithium vulgatum(Bruguière, 1792) using a novel chemical method. Calcination of the powders produced was carried out at varying temperatures, specifically at 400°C and 800°C, in air for 4 hours. When compared to the conventional hydrothermal transformation method, this chemical method is very simple, economic, due to the fact that it needs inexpensive and safe equipment, because the transformation of the aragonite and calcite of the shells into the calcium phosphate phases takes place at 80°C under the atmospheric pressure. The powders produced were determined using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The features of the powders produced along with the fact of their biological origin qualify these powders for further consideration and experimentation to fabricate nanoceramic biomaterials.
Gupta, V, You, Y, Li, J, Gupta, V, Golzan, M, Klistorner, A, van den Buuse, M & Graham, S 2014, 'BDNF impairment is associated with age-related changes in the inner retina and exacerbates experimental glaucoma', Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease, vol. 1842, no. 9, pp. 1567-1578.
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulation of its high-affinity receptor TrkB results in activation of pro-survival cell-signalling pathways that can afford neuroprotection to the retina. Reduction in retrograde axonal transport of neurotrophic factors such as BDNF from the brain to the neuronal cell bodies in the retina has been suggested as a critical factor underlying progressive and selective degeneration of ganglion cell layer and optic nerve in glaucoma. We investigated the role of BDNF in preserving inner retinal homeostasis in normal and glaucoma states using BDNF(+/-) mice and compared it with wild type controls. This study demonstrated that BDNF(+/-) animals were more susceptible to functional, morphological and molecular degenerative changes in the inner retina caused by age as well as upon exposure to experimental glaucoma caused by increased intraocular pressure. Glaucoma induced a down regulation of BDNF/TrkB signalling and an increase in levels of neurotoxic amyloid β 1-42 in the optic nerve head which were exacerbated in BDNF(+/-) mice. Similar results were obtained upon analysing the human optic nerve head tissues. Our data highlighted the role of BDNF in maintaining the inner retinal integrity under normal conditions and the detrimental effects of its insufficiency on the retina and optic nerve in glaucoma.
Haddad, A, Zhang, Y, Su, S, Celler, B & Nguyen, H 2014, 'Modelling and regulating of cardio-respiratory response for the enhancement of interval training', BioMedical Engineering OnLine, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 1-14.
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Haghi, M, Chrzanowski, W, Traini, D, Wood, L, Oliver, B & Young, P 2014, 'THE ROLE OF DIETARY FATTY ACIDS IN TRANSPORT OF SALBUTAMOL ACROSS CALU-3 EPITHELIA', RESPIROLOGY, vol. 19, pp. 38-38.
Heness, G, Booth, N & Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Specimen size effects on the compressive strength of porous, open cell ceramics - Size matters', Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 176-179.
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This study investigates the effect of specimen volume on the compressive strength of open cell brittle ceramics. A series of unconfined and confined, compression tests on specimens ranging in volume and shape were carried out. Volume percent pore content, average pore size, average wall thickness and pore shape were determined. The crushing strength and apparent stiffness were measured and these results are correlated with the volume of material stressed. It was found that as the volume of this highly porous, cellular material increased the strength also increased. For a 99% decrease in volume, a 49% decrease in strength was found for cube specimens. End constraint and specimen confinement had no effect on the trends for the cube specimens.
Herbert, C, Zeng, Q-X, Shanmugasundaram, R, Garthwaite, L, Oliver, BG & Kumar, RK 2014, 'Response of airway epithelial cells to double-stranded RNA in an allergic environment', Translational Respiratory Medicine, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 11-11.
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AbstractBackgroundRespiratory viral infections are the most common trigger of acute exacerbations in patients with allergic asthma. The anti-viral response of airway epithelial cells (AEC) may be impaired in asthmatics, while cytokines produced by AEC may drive the inflammatory response. We investigated whether AEC cultured in the presence of Th2 cytokines associated with an allergic environment exhibited altered responses to double-stranded RNA, a virus-like stimulus.MethodsWe undertook preliminary studies using the MLE-12 cell line derived from mouse distal respiratory epithelial cells, then confirmed and extended our findings using low-passage human AEC. Cells were cultured in the absence or presence of the Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 for 48 hours, then stimulated with poly I:C for 4 hours. Expression of relevant anti-viral response and cytokine genes was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Secretion of cytokine proteins was assessed by immunoassay.ResultsFollowing stimulation with poly I:C, MLE-12 cells pre-treated with Th2 cytokines exhibited significantly higher levels of expression of mRNA for the cytokine genesCxcl10andCxcl11, as well as a trend towards increased expression ofCxcl9andIl6.Expression of anti-viral response genes was mostly unchanged, althoughStat1, Ifit1andIfitm3were significantly increased in Th2 cytokine pre-treated cells. Human AEC pre-treated with IL-4 and IL-13, then stimulated with poly I:C, similarly exhibited significantly higher expression ofIL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11andCCL5genes. In parallel, there was significant...
Hickman, LD, Kelly, H & Phillips, JL 2014, 'EVITEACH: A study exploring ways to optimise the uptake of evidence-based practice to undergraduate nurses', NURSE EDUCATION IN PRACTICE, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 598-604.
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Hoiles, W, Krishnamurthy, V, Cranfield, CG & Cornell, B 2014, 'An Engineered Membrane to Measure Electroporation: Effect of Tethers and Bioelectronic Interface', BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, vol. 107, no. 6, pp. 1339-1351.
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© 2014 by the Biophysical Society. This article reports on the construction and predictive models for a platform comprised of an engineered tethered membrane. The platform provides a controllable and physiologically relevant environment for the study of the electroporation process. The mixed self-assembled membrane is formed via a rapid solvent exchange technique. The membrane is tethered to the gold electrode and includes an ionic reservoir separating the membrane and gold surface. Above the membrane, there is an electrolyte solution, and a gold counterelectrode. A voltage is applied between the gold electrodes and the current measured. The current is dependent on the energy required to form aqueous pores and the conductance of each pore. A two-level predictive model, consisting of a macroscopic and a continuum model, is developed to relate the pore dynamics to the measured current. The macroscopic model consists of an equivalent circuit model of the tethered membrane, and asymptotic approximations to the Smoluchowski-Einstein equation of electroporation that is dependent on the pore conductance and the energy required to form aqueous pores. The continuum model is a generalized Poisson-Nernst-Planck (GPNP) system where an activity coefficient to account for steric effects of ions is added to the standard PNP system. The GPNP is used to evaluate the conductance of aqueous pores, and the electrical energy required to form the pores. As an outcome of the setup of the device and the two-level model, biologically important variables can be estimated from experimental measurements. To validate the accuracy of the two-level model, the predicted current is compared with experimentally measured current for different tethering densities.
Ho-Pham, LT, Lai, TQ, Mai, LD, Doan, MC, Pham, HN & Nguyen, TV 2014, 'Prevalence of Radiographic Osteoarthritis of the Knee and Its Relationship to Self-Reported Pain', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. e94563-e94563.
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Background and Aim: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is one of the most common skeletal disorders, yet little data are available in Asian populations. We sought to assess the prevalence and pattern of radiographic OA of the knee, and its relationship to s
Hosie, A & Phillips, J 2014, 'Editorial: Nurses’ role in improving interdisciplinary delirium care in inpatient settings: steps for action', Journal of Clinical Nursing, vol. 23, no. 21-22, pp. 2995-2997.
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Hosie, A, Agar, M, Lobb, E, Davidson, PM & Phillips, J 2014, 'Palliative care nurses' recognition and assessment of patients with delirium symptoms: A qualitative study using critical incident technique', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING STUDIES, vol. 51, no. 10, pp. 1353-1365.
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Delirium is prevalent in palliative care inpatient settings and management is often challenging. Despite nurses integral patient care role, little is known about palliative care nurses capacity to recognise, assess and respond to patients delirium symptoms.
Hosie, A, Lobb, E, Agar, M, Davidson, PM & Phillips, J 2014, 'Identifying the Barriers and Enablers to Palliative Care Nurses' Recognition and Assessment of Delirium Symptoms: A Qualitative Study', JOURNAL OF PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 815-830.
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© 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Context. Delirium is underrecognized by nurses, including those working in palliative care settings where the syndrome occurs frequently. Identifying contextual factors that support and/or hinder palliative care nurses' delirium recognition and assessment capabilities is crucial, to inform development of clinical practice and systems aimed at improving patients' delirium outcomes.Objectives. The aim of the study was to identify nurses' perceptions of the barriers and enablers to recognizing and assessing delirium symptoms in palliative care inpatient settings.Methods. A series of semistructured interviews, guided by critical incident technique, were conducted with nurses working in Australian palliative care inpatient settings. A hypoactive delirium vignette prompted participants' recall of delirium and identification of the perceived factors (barriers and enablers) that impacted on their delirium recognition and assessment capabilities. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data.Results. Thirty participants from nine palliative care services provided insights into the barriers and enablers of delirium recognition and assessment in the inpatient setting that were categorized as patient and family, health professional, and system level factors. Analysis revealed five themes, each reflecting both identified barriers and current and/or potential enablers: 1) value in listening to patients and engaging families, 2) assessment is integrated with care delivery, 3) respecting and integrating nurses' observations, 4) addressing nurses' delirium knowledge needs, and 5) integrating delirium recognition and assessment processes.Conclusion. Supporting the development of palliative care nursing delirium recognition and assessment practice requires attending to a range of barriers and enablers at the patient and family, health professional, and system levels.
Hu, K, Kabakova, IV, Büttner, TFS, Lefrancois, S, Hudson, DD, He, S & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'Low-threshold Brillouin laser at 2 μm based on suspended-core chalcogenide fiber', Optics Letters, vol. 39, no. 16, pp. 4651-4651.
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We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a 2 μm Brillouin laser based on a thulium-doped fiber pump and a chalcogenide fiber. A short 1.5mpiece of suspended-core chalcogenide As38Se 62 fiber is employed as a gain medium, taking advantage of its small effective mode area and high Brillouin gain coefficient. A record-low lasing threshold of 52 mW is achieved, which is about 10 times lower than previously demonstrated in silica fiber cavities. © 2014 Optical Society of America.
Hu, K, Kabakova, IV, Lefrancois, S, Hudson, DD, He, S & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'Hybrid Brillouin/thulium multiwavelength fiber laser with switchable single- and double-Brillouin-frequency spacing', Optics Express, vol. 22, no. 26, pp. 31884-31884.
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Im, H & Ammit, AJ 2014, 'The NLRP3 inflammasome: role in airway inflammation', Clinical & Experimental Allergy, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 160-172.
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SummaryAsthma is characterized by airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness and airway remodelling. Uncontrolled airway inflammation or repeated asthma exacerbations can lead to airway remodelling, which cannot be reversed by current pharmacological treatment, and consequently lead to decline in lung function. Thus, it is critical to understand airway inflammation in asthma and infectious exacerbation. The inflammasome has emerged as playing a key role in innate immunity and inflammation. Upon ligand sensing, inflammasome components assemble and self‐oligomerize, leading to caspase‐1 activation and maturation of pro‐IL‐1β and pro‐IL‐18 into bioactive cytokines. These bioactive cytokines then play a pivotal role in the initiation and amplification of inflammatory processes. In addition to facilitating the proteolytic activation of IL‐1β and IL‐18, inflammasomes also participate in cell death through caspase‐1‐mediated pyroptosis. In this review, we describe the structure and function of the inflammasome and provide an overview of our current understanding of role of the inflammasome in airway inflammation. We focus on nucleotide‐binding domain and leucine‐rich repeat protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome as it is the best‐characterized subtype shown expressed in airway and considered to play a key role in chronic airway diseases such as asthma.
Jaffar, J, Unger, S, Corte, TJ, Keller, M, Wolters, PJ, Richeldi, L, Cerri, S, Prêle, CM, Hansbro, PM, Argraves, WS, Oliver, RA, Oliver, BG, Black, JL & Burgess, JK 2014, 'Fibulin-1 Predicts Disease Progression in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis', CHEST, vol. 146, no. 4, pp. 1055-1063.
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Background The underlying mechanisms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are unknown. This progressive disease has high mortality rates and current models for prediction of mortality have limited value in identifying which patients will progress. We previously showed that the glycoprotein fibulin-1 is involved in enhanced proliferation and wound repair by mesenchymal cells, thus may contribute to lung fibrosis in IPF. Methods Serum, lung tissue and lung function values were obtained from four independent locations (Sydney and Perth, Australia, San Francisco, USA and Modena, Italy). Patients with IPF were followed for a minimum of one year and progression was defined as a significant decline in lung function or death. Primary parenchymal lung fibroblasts of 15 patients with and without IPF were cultured under non-stimulatory conditions. Fibulin-1 levels in serum and secreted or deposited by fibroblasts were measured by western blot and in lung tissue by immunohistochemistry. Results Serum fibulin-1 levels were increased in patients with IPF compared to subjects without lung disease (p=0.006). Furthermore, tissue fibulin-1 levels were increased in patients with IPF (p=0.02) and correlated negatively with lung function (r=-0.9, p<0.05). Primary parenchymal fibroblasts from patients with IPF produced more fibulin-1 than those from subjects without IPF (p<0.05). Finally, serum fibulin-1 levels at first blood draw predicted disease progression in IPF within 1 year (AUC 0.71, 95%CI 0.57 0.86, p=0.012). Conclusions Fibulin-1 is a novel potential biomarker for disease progression IPF and raise the possibility that it could be used as a target for the development of new treatments.
James, AP, Thiruvenkadam, S, Paul, JS & Braun, M 2014, 'Special issue on medical image computing and systems', Information Fusion, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 2-3.
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Jiang, L, Phang, JM, Yu, J, Harrop, SJ, Sokolova, AV, Duff, AP, Wilk, KE, Alkhamici, H, Breit, SN, Valenzuela, SM, Brown, LJ & Curmi, PMG 2014, 'CLIC proteins, ezrin, radixin, moesin and the coupling of membranes to the actin cytoskeleton: A smoking gun?', BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES, vol. 1838, no. 2, pp. 643-657.
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The CLIC proteins are a highly conserved family of metazoan proteins with the unusual ability to adopt both soluble and integral membrane forms. The physiological functions of CLIC proteins may include enzymatic activity in the soluble form and anion channel activity in the integral membrane form. CLIC proteins are associated with the ERM proteins: ezrin, radixin and moesin. ERM proteins act as cross-linkers between membranes and the cortical actin cytoskeleton. Both CLIC and ERM proteins are controlled by Rho family small GTPases. CLIC proteins, ERM and Rho GTPases act in a concerted manner to control active membrane processes including the maintenance of microvillar structures, phagocytosis and vesicle trafficking. All of these processes involve the interaction of membranes with the underlying cortical actin cytoskeleton. The relationships between Rho GTPases, CLIC proteins, ERM proteins and the membrane:actin cytoskeleton interface are reviewed. Speculative models are proposed involving the formation of localised multi-protein complexes on the membrane surface that assemble via multiple weak interactions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Reciprocal influences between cell cytoskeleton and membrane channels, receptors and transporters
Jones, PM & George, AM 2014, 'A reciprocating twin-channel model for ABC transporters', Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 189-220.
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AbstractABC transporters comprise a large, diverse, and ubiquitous superfamily of membrane active transporters. Their core architecture is a dimer of dimers, comprising two transmembrane (TM) domains that bind substrate, and two ATP-binding cassettes, which use the cell's energy currency to couple substrate translocation to ATP hydrolysis. Despite the availability of over a dozen resolved structures and a wealth of biochemical and biophysical data, this field is bedeviled by controversy and long-standing mechanistic questions remain unresolved. The prevailing paradigm for the ABC transport mechanism is the Switch Model, in which the ATP-binding cassettes dimerize upon binding two ATP molecules, and thence dissociate upon sequential ATP hydrolysis. This cycle of nucleotide-binding domain (NBD) dimerization and dissociation is coupled to a switch between inward- or outward facing conformations of a single TM channel; this alternating access enables substrate binding on one face of the membrane and its release at the other. Notwithstanding widespread acceptance of the Switch Model, there is substantial evidence that the NBDs do not separate very much, if at all, and thus physical separation of the ATP cassettes observed in crystallographic structures may be an artefact. An alternative Constant Contact Model has been proposed, in which ATP hydrolysis occurs alternately at the two ATP-binding sites, with one of the sites remaining closed and containing occluded nucleotide at all times. In this model, the cassettes remain in contact and the active sites swing open in an alternately seesawing motion. Whilst the concept of NBD association/dissociation in the Switch Model is naturally compatible with a single alternating-access channel, the asymmetric functioning proposed by the Constant Contact model suggests an alternating or reciprocating function in the TMDs. Here, a new model for the function of ABC transporters is proposed ...
Kabakova, IV, Marpaung, D, Poulton, CG & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'Driving acoustic waves optically on a chip', Australian Physics, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 84-88.
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Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is an important nonlinear effect in optical fibers and waveguides that has been traditionally exploited for high-sensitivity distributed sensing, coherent lasers and gyroscopes. Recent advances in nanofabrication led to the extensive growth of SBS research. The ability to generate SBS in nanoscale devices has opened numerous opportunities for photonic integration, resulting in on-chip Brillouin lasers, microwave generation, Brillouin cooling and quantum optomechanics. In this paper we briefly describe principles of inelastic Brillouin scattering and review our recent developments in optical signal manipulation and lasing using on-chip SBS.
Kabakova, IV, Pant, R, Winful, HG & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'Chalcogenide Brillouin lasers', Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics & Materials, vol. 23, no. 01, pp. 1450001-1450001.
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In recent years, chalcogenide glasses have emerged as a material platform for nonlinear signal processing and mid-infrared photonics. In addition, high Brillouin gain of these soft glasses enable compact and highly efficient Brillouin lasers (BL). We review recent progress on chalcogenide BL, compare fiber and waveguide laser geometries, and discuss the potential of chalcogenide platform for compact and high-coherence light sources.
Kalff, A, Kennedy, N, Smiley, A, Prince, HM, Roberts, AW, Bradstock, K, De Abreu Lourenço, R, Frampton, C & Spencer, A 2014, 'Thalidomide and prednisolone versus prednisolone alone as consolidation therapy after autologous stem-cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: final analysis of the ALLG MM6 multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 study', The Lancet Haematology, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. e112-e119.
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Background: We previously showed that consolidation therapy with thalidomide and prednisolone improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with multiple myeloma who had undergone autologous stem-cell transplantation. We aimed to assess whether these survival advantages were durable at 5 years. Methods: The ALLG MM6 trial was a multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial done between Jan 13, 2002, and March 15, 2005, at 29 sites in Australia and New Zealand. Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were randomly assigned (1:1), via computer-generated randomisation charts, to receive indefi nite prednisolone maintenance alone (control group) or in combination with 12 months of thalidomide consolidation (thalidomide group) after autologous stem-cell transplantation. Randomisation was stratifi ed by treating centre and pre-transplantation concentrations of ß2 microglobulin. Patients and treating physicians were not masked to treatment allocation. Primary endpoints were progression-free survival and overall survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. Secondary endpoints were overall response to salvage therapy, incidence of second primary malignancy incidence, and cost-eff ectiveness. This trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, number ACTRN12607000382471. Findings: We randomly assigned 269 patients to the thalidomide (n=114) or control group (n=129). After a median followup of 5·4 years (IQR 3·1-7·2), estimated 5-year progression-free survival was 27% (95% CI 23-32) in the thalidomide group and 15% (11-18) in the control group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·16, 95% CI 0·044-0·58; p=0·0054) and 5-year overall survival was 66% (95% CI 61-70) and 47% (42-51), respectively (HR 0·12, 95% CI 0·028-0·56; p=0·0072). There was no diff erence in overall response to salvage therapy, survival post-progression, or incidence of secondary malignancies between the two groups. Incremental cost-eff ectiveness ratio ...
Kandasamy, J, Sounthararajah, D, Sivabalan, P, Chanan, A, Vigneswaran, S & Sivapalan, M 2014, 'Socio-hydrologic drivers of the pendulum swing between agricultural development and environmental health: a case study from Murrumbidgee River basin, Australia', HYDROLOGY AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 1027-1041.
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Keam, SP, Sobala, A, Humphreys, DT, Suter, CM & Hutvagner, G 2014, 'Computational Analysis, Biochemical Purification, and Detection of tRNA-Derived Small RNA Fragments', Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 1173, pp. 157-167.
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© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014. The rapidly growing list of small RNA species generated by next-generation sequencing technologies has accelerated the development of new bioinformatics tools for their detection. Small RNAs generated from tRNAs, transfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs), represent a novel challenge in accurately identifying and distinguishing them from random degradation products of tRNAs. Here, we describe a bioinformatics approach to detect tRFs in next-generation sequencing libraries. We also present a biochemical purification protocol for enriching 5′ tRFs and separating them from miRNAs. And finally, we suggest reliable methods for detecting and quantifying tRFs.
Keam, SP, Young, PE, McCorkindale, AL, Dang, THY, Clancy, JL, Humphreys, DT, Preiss, T, Hutvagner, G, Martin, DIK, Cropley, JE & Suter, CM 2014, 'The human Piwi protein Hiwi2 associates with tRNA-derived piRNAs in somatic cells', NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH, vol. 42, no. 14, pp. 8984-8995.
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The Piwi-piRNA pathway is active in animal germ cells where its functions are required for germ cell maintenance and gamete differentiation. Piwi proteins and piRNAs have been detected outside germline tissue in multiple phyla, but activity of the pathway in mammalian somatic cells has been little explored. In particular, Piwi expression has been observed in cancer cells, but nothing is known about the piRNA partners or the function of the system in these cells. We have surveyed the expression of the three human Piwi genes, Hiwi, Hili and Hiwi2, in multiple normal tissues and cancer cell lines. We find that Hiwi2 is ubiquitously expressed; in cancer cells the protein is largely restricted to the cytoplasm and is associated with translating ribosomes. Immunoprecipitation of Hiwi2 from MDAMB231 cancer cells enriches for piRNAs that are predominantly derived from processed tRNAs and expressed genes, species which can also be found in adult human testis. Our studies indicate that a Piwi-piRNA pathway is present in human somatic cells, with an uncharacterised function linked to translation. Taking this evidence together with evidence from primitive organisms, we propose that this somatic function of the pathway predates the germline functions of the pathway in modern animals. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
Kempton, T, Sirotic, AC & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Between match variation in professional rugby league competition', JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE IN SPORT, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 404-407.
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Objectives To assess between match variability of physical performance measures over both the total and sub sections of the match in professional rugby league competition. Design Longitudinal observational study. Methods Global positioning system (GPS) data were collected from 24 players from the same team competing in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition over 23 matches during 2011 season. The GPS data were categorised into total distance, high-speed running (>15 km h-1) and very high-speed running (>21 km h-1) distance for discrete reference periods (10 min, 20 min, 40 min and 80 min). The data was then log transformed to provide the coefficient of variation (CV) and the between subject standard deviation (both expressed as percentages). Results The data show that the between match variability is greater for high-speed (CV 14.6%) and very-high speed (CV 37.0%) running compared to total distance (CV 3.6%). Within each speed category, the variability of performance tended to increase as the duration of the reference period decreased.
Kennedy, PJ 2014, 'Redesign of Data Analytics Major: Challenges and Lessons Learned', Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 116, pp. 1373-1377.
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Khalifeh, CJ & Sivabalan, P 2014, 'An Experimental Study on the Effect of Budget Information on Balanced Scorecard Preparer Individual Learning', AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 39-52.
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We examine whether budgets affect individual learning in balanced scorecard (BSC) preparers for the purposes of scorecard target setting.Control systems research has called for studies examining the impact of multiple controls on common decision-making phenomena. Given this, are there other cybernetic controls (budgets) that might influence the decisions of BSC preparers? From an experimental study involving 235 postgraduate university candidates, our findings suggest that the awareness of progressively greater budget information amongst BSC users in high uncertainty environments engenders greater individual learning about the organisation, altering BSC preparer target-setting choices. Interestingly, this learning does not necessarily lead to better budget-actual outcomes, but informs BSC preparers of the constraints facing the organisation from a funding `supply side perspective. The oft-criticised budget, even within high uncertainty conditions, facilitates learning in a BSC system originally purported to replace or advance the traditional system. Finally, we contribute more broadly to a growing literature evidencing the appropriateness of budgets in flexible environments, by arguing for its impact on other performance management systems.
Khoo, BL, Warkiani, ME, Tan, DSW, Bhagat, AAS & Irwin, D 2014, 'Erratum: Clinical validation of an ultra high-throughput spiral microfluidics for the detection and enrichment of viable circulating tumor cells (PLoS ONE 9(7) e99409). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099409', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 10.
Khoo, BL, Warkiani, ME, Tan, DS-W, Bhagat, AAS, Irwin, D, Lau, DP, Lim, AST, Lim, KH, Krisna, SS, Lim, W-T, Yap, YS, Lee, SC, Soo, RA, Han, J & Lim, CT 2014, 'Clinical Validation of an Ultra High-Throughput Spiral Microfluidics for the Detection and Enrichment of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. e99409-e99409.
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BACKGROUND: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that can be isolated via liquid biopsy from blood and can be phenotypically and genetically characterized to provide critical information for guiding cancer treatment. Current analysis of CTCs is hindered by the throughput, selectivity and specificity of devices or assays used in CTC detection and isolation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we enriched and characterized putative CTCs from blood samples of patients with both advanced stage metastatic breast and lung cancers using a novel multiplexed spiral microfluidic chip. This system detected putative CTCs under high sensitivity (100%, n = 56) (Breast cancer samples: 12-1275 CTCs/ml; Lung cancer samples: 10-1535 CTCs/ml) rapidly from clinically relevant blood volumes (7.5 ml under 5 min). Blood samples were completely separated into plasma, CTCs and PBMCs components and each fraction were characterized with immunophenotyping (Pan-cytokeratin/CD45, CD44/CD24, EpCAM), fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) (EML4-ALK) or targeted somatic mutation analysis. We used an ultra-sensitive mass spectrometry based system to highlight the presence of an EGFR-activating mutation in both isolated CTCs and plasma cell-free DNA (cf-DNA), and demonstrate concordance with the original tumor-biopsy samples. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We have clinically validated our multiplexed microfluidic chip for the ultra high-throughput, low-cost and label-free enrichment of CTCs. Retrieved cells were unlabeled and viable, enabling potential propagation and real-time downstream analysis using next generation sequencing (NGS) or proteomic analysis.
Khushaba, RN, Takruri, M, Miro, JV & Kodagoda, S 2014, 'Towards limb position invariant myoelectric pattern recognition using time-dependent spectral features', NEURAL NETWORKS, vol. 55, pp. 42-58.
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Recent studies in Electromyogram (EMG) pattern recognition reveal a gap between research findings and a viable clinical implementation of myoelectric control strategies. One of the important factors contributing to the limited performance of such controllers in practice is the variation in the limb position associated with normal use as it results in different EMG patterns for the same movements when carried out at different positions. However, the end goal of the myoelectric control scheme is to allow amputees to control their prosthetics in an intuitive and accurate manner regardless of the limb position at which the movement is initiated. In an attempt to reduce the impact of limb position on EMG pattern recognition, this paper proposes a new feature extraction method that extracts a set of power spectrum characteristics directly from the time-domain. The end goal is to form a set of features invariant to limb position. Specifically, the proposed method estimates the spectral moments, spectral sparsity, spectral flux, irregularity factor, and signals power spectrum correlation. This is achieved through using Fourier transform properties to form invariants to amplification, translation and signal scaling, providing an efficient and accurate representation of the underlying EMG activity. Additionally, due to the inherent temporal structure of the EMG signal, the proposed method is applied on the global segments of EMG data as well as the sliced segments using multiple overlapped windows. The performance of the proposed features is tested on EMG data collected from eleven subjects, while implementing eight classes of movements, each at five different limb positions. Practical results indicate that the proposed feature set can achieve significant reduction in classification error rates, in comparison to other methods, with ≈8% error on average across all subjects and limb positions. A real-time implementation and demonstration is also provided and made a...
Kim, PY, Tan, O, Diakiw, SM, Carter, D, Sekerye, EO, Wasinger, VC, Liu, T, Kavallaris, M, Norris, MD, Haber, M, Chesler, L, Dolnikov, A, Trahair, TN, Cheung, N-K, Marshall, GM & Cheung, BB 2014, 'Identification of plasma Complement C3 as a potential biomarker for neuroblastoma using a quantitative proteomic approach', Journal of Proteomics, vol. 96, pp. 1-12.
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Koch, J, Everett, B, Phillips, J & Davidson, PM 2014, 'Diversity characteristics and the experiences of nursing students during clinical placements: A qualitative study of student, faculty and supervisors’ views', Contemporary Nurse, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 15-26.
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Background: Little is known about which diversity characteristics if any, impact on nursing students' clinical placements or how these may affect the quality of their learning experiences. There is therefore a need to better understand these effects not only from the student's perspective but also from the perspective of the staff who supervise them, in order to ensure students obtain maximal benefit from their placements. Aim: To describe the clinical experiences of nursing students and the diversity characteristics that affect this learning experience. Methods: Data were collected from a series of open-ended questions embedded within a larger anonymous web-based survey, from August 2011 to March 2012. Participants included first, second and third year undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students (N = 704) and faculty members involved in the clinical learning environment (N = 165) from seven Australian universities. Findings: Qualitative findings were clustered into three main themes: differences, difficulty and discrimination, each with three subthemes. Conclusion: Findings suggest a need to offer appropriate support for nursing students who feel different because of diversity characteristics. Whilst some of the participant perceptions are confronting they provide valuable insights for universities developing curricula and the clinical placement facilities where students obtain their experience.
Kohan, L, Field, C, Kerr, D & Ben-Nissan, B 2014, 'Femoral neck remodelling after hip resurfacing surgery: a radiological study', ANZ Journal of Surgery, vol. 84, no. 9, pp. 639-642.
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Background: Narrowing of the femoral neck under the femoral component of the hip resurfacing has been noted previously and has raised concern. In this study we examined the X-rays of patients following Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery at 6-years follow-up. Methods: Bony changes proximally and distally were measured. Fifty-two patients were available for evaluation. Results: There were 40 (76.9%) men and 12 (23.1%) women, with a mean age of 52 years (25-64). The unoperated contralateral femoral neck was measured as a control. We found femoral neck narrowing proximally in 82.7% of patients and distally in 26.9% and on the contralateral side in 54.5%. The average narrowing was 3.6%. Widening was observed proximally in 17.3% and distally in 73.1% and on the contralateral side in 45.5%. The average widening was 3.9%. Four of the 52 patients had proximal narrowing exceeding 10% of the femoral neck diameter, and one of the 52 patients had inferior narrowing exceeding 10%. Conclusion: Gender, body mass index, component size and age did not affect remodelling. We conclude that the observed findings are likely to be a manifestation of a generalized remodelling response in the femoral neck rather than a localized and isolated narrowing at the junction of the component and the femoral neck. © 2014 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
Lai, JCY, Leung, FHF & Ling, SH 2014, 'Hypoglycaemia detection using fuzzy inference system with intelligent optimiser', APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING, vol. 20, pp. 54-65.
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Lam, HK, Ekong, U, Liu, H, Xiao, B, Araujo, H, Ling, SH & Chan, KY 2014, 'A study of neural-network-based classifiers for material classification', NEUROCOMPUTING, vol. 144, pp. 367-377.
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Li, CX, Chen, P, Wang, RJ, Wang, XJ, Su, YR & Li, J 2014, 'PPI-IRO: a two-stage method for protein-protein interaction extraction based on interaction relation ontology', International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 98-98.
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Mining Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) from the fast-growing biomedical literature resources has been proven as an effective approach for the identifi cation of biological regulatory networks. This paper presents a novel method based on the idea of Interaction Relation Ontology (IRO), which specifi es and organises words of various proteins interaction relationships. Our method is a two-stage PPI extraction method. At fi rst, IRO is applied in a binary classifi er to determine whether sentences contain a relation or not. Then, IRO is taken to guide PPI extraction by building sentence dependency parse tree. Comprehensive and quantitative evaluations and detailed analyses are used to demonstrate the signifi cant performance of IRO on relation sentences classifi cation and PPI extraction. Our PPI extraction method yielded a recall of around 80% and 90% and an F1 of around 54% and 66% on corpora of AIMed and Bioinfer, respectively, which are superior to most existing extraction methods. Copyright © 2014 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Ling, SH, San, PP, Chan, KY, Leung, FHF & Liu, Y 2014, 'An intelligent swarm based-wavelet neural network for affective mobile phone design', NEUROCOMPUTING, vol. 142, pp. 30-38.
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Ling, SSH, Chan, KY, Palade, V, Dillon, T, Nguyen, HT, Nguyen, TN & Chen, X-W 2014, 'Special issue on hybrid intelligent methods for health technologies', APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING, vol. 20, pp. 1-3.
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Liu, A, Ingham, E, Fisher, J & Tipper, JL 2014, 'Generation of a large volume of clinically relevant nanometre-sized ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles for cell culture studies', Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, vol. 228, no. 4, pp. 418-426.
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It has recently been shown that the wear of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene in hip and knee prostheses leads to the generation of nanometre-sized particles, in addition to micron-sized particles. The biological activity of nanometre-sized ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles has not, however, previously been studied due to difficulties in generating sufficient volumes of nanometre-sized ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles suitable for cell culture studies. In this study, wear simulation methods were investigated to generate a large volume of endotoxin-free clinically relevant nanometre-sized ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles. Both single-station and six-station multidirectional pin-on-plate wear simulators were used to generate ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles under sterile and non-sterile conditions. Microbial contamination and endotoxin levels in the lubricants were determined. The results indicated that microbial contamination was absent and endotoxin levels were low and within acceptable limits for the pharmaceutical industry, when a six-station pin-on-plate wear simulator was used to generate ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles in a non-sterile environment. Different pore-sized polycarbonate filters were investigated to isolate nanometre-sized ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles from the wear test lubricants. The use of the filter sequence of 10, 1, 0.1, 0.1 and 0.015 µm pore sizes allowed successful isolation of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene wear particles with a size range of < 100 nm, which was suitable for cell culture studies.
Liu, Q, Chen, Y-PP & Li, J 2014, 'k-Partite cliques of protein interactions: A novel subgraph topology for functional coherence analysis on PPI networks', Journal of Theoretical Biology, vol. 340, pp. 146-154.
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Liu, Q, Hoi, SCH, Kwoh, CK, Wong, L & Li, J 2014, 'Integrating water exclusion theory into beta contacts to predict binding free energy changes and binding hot spots', BMC BIOINFORMATICS, vol. 15, no. 1.
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Background: Binding free energy and binding hot spots at protein-protein interfaces are two important research areas for understanding protein interactions. Computational methods have been developed previously for accurate prediction of binding free energy change upon mutation for interfacial residues. However, a large number of interrupted and unimportant atomic contacts are used in the training phase which caused accuracy loss.Results: This work proposes a new method, βACVASA, to predict the change of binding free energy after alanine mutations. βACVASA integrates accessible surface area (ASA) and our newly defined β contacts together into an atomic contact vector (ACV). A β contact between two atoms is a direct contact without being interrupted by any other atom between them. A β contact's potential contribution to protein binding is also supposed to be inversely proportional to its ASA to follow the water exclusion hypothesis of binding hot spots. Tested on a dataset of 396 alanine mutations, our method is found to be superior in classification performance to many other methods, including Robetta, FoldX, HotPOINT, an ACV method of β contacts without ASA integration, and ACVASA methods (similar to βACVASA but based on distance-cutoff contacts). Based on our data analysis and results, we can draw conclusions that: (i) our method is powerful in the prediction of binding free energy change after alanine mutation; (ii) β contacts are better than distance-cutoff contacts for modeling the well-organized protein-binding interfaces; (iii) β contacts usually are only a small fraction number of the distance-based contacts; and (iv) water exclusion is a necessary condition for a residue to become a binding hot spot.Conclusions: βACVASA is designed using the advantages of both β contacts and water exclusion. It is an excellent tool to predict binding free energy changes and binding hot spots after alanine mutation. © 2014 Liu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Liu, Q, Li, Z & Li, J 2014, 'Use B-factor related features for accurate classification between protein binding interfaces and crystal packing contacts', BMC Bioinformatics, vol. 15, no. S16, pp. S3-S3.
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© 2014 Liu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Background: Distinction between true protein interactions and crystal packing contacts is important for structural bioinformatics studies to respond to the need of accurate classification of the rapidly increasing protein structures. There are many unannotated crystal contacts and there also exist false annotations in this rapidly expanding volume of data. Previous tools have been proposed to address this problem. However, challenging issues still remain, such as low performance when the training and test data contain mixed interfaces having diverse sizes of contact areas. Methods and results: B factor is a measure to quantify the vibrational motion of an atom, a more relevant feature than interface size to characterize protein binding. We propose to use three features related to B factor for the classification between biological interfaces and crystal packing contacts. The first feature is the sum of the normalized B factors of the interfacial atoms in the contact area, the second is the average of the interfacial B factor per residue in the chain, and the third is the average number of interfacial atoms with a negative normalized B factor per residue in the chain. We investigate the distribution properties of these basic features and a compound feature on four datasets of biological binding and crystal packing, and on a protein binding-only dataset with known binding affinity. We also compare the cross-dataset classification performance of these features with existing methods and with a widely-used and the most effective feature interface area. The results demonstrate that our features outperform the interface area approach and the existing prediction methods remarkably for many tests on all of these datasets. Conclusions: The proposed B factor related features are more effective than interface area to distinguish crystal packing from biological binding interfaces. Our computational methods have a potent...
Liu, Z, Li, J, Yang, L, Chen, Q, Chu, Y & Dai, N 2014, 'Efficient near-infrared quantum cutting in Ce3+–Yb3+ codoped glass for solar photovoltaic', Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 122, pp. 46-50.
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Lord, MS, Whitelock, JM, Simmons, A, Williams, RL & Milthorpe, BK 2014, 'Fibrinogen adsorption and platelet adhesion to silica surfaces with stochastic nanotopography', Biointerphases, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 041002-041002.
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In this study, the effect of surface nanoscale roughness on fibrinogen adsorption and platelet adhesion was investigated. Nanorough silica surfaces with a low level of surface roughness (10 nm Rrms) were found to support the same level of fibrinogen adsorption as the planar silica surfaces, while nanorough silica surfaces with higher levels of surface roughness (15 nm Rrms) were found to support significantly less fibrinogen adsorption. All surfaces analyzed were found to support the same level of platelet adhesion; however, platelets were rounded in morphology on the nanorough silica surfaces while platelets were spread with a well-developed actin cytoskeleton on the planar silica. Unique quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) responses was observed for the interactions between platelets and each of the surfaces. The QCM-D data indicated that platelets were more weakly attached to the nanorough silica surfaces compared with the planar silica. These data support the role of surface nanotopography in directing platelet–surface interactions even when the adsorbed fibrinogen layer is able to support the same level of platelet adhesion.
Lovell, MR, Luckett, T, Boyle, FM, Phillips, J, Agar, M & Davidson, PM 2014, 'Patient Education, Coaching, and Self-Management for Cancer Pain', JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, vol. 32, no. 16, pp. 1712-+.
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Purpose: Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses have identified the effectiveness of patient education in improving cancer pain management. However, the mechanisms by which patient education improves pain outcomes are uncertain, as are the optimal delivery, content, timing, frequency, and duration. This review provides best-bet recommendations based on available evidence to guide service managers and clinicians in developing a patient education program. Methods: We used patient-centered care, self-management, coaching, and a behavior change wheel as lenses through which to consider the evidence for elements of patient education most likely to be effective within the context of other strategies for overcoming barriers to cancer pain assessment and management. Results: The evidence suggests that optimal strategies include those that are patient-centered and tailored to individual needs, are embedded within health professional-patient communication and therapeutic relationships, empower patients to self-manage and coordinate their care, and are routinely integrated into standard cancer care. An approach that integrates patient education with processes and systems to ensure implementation of key standards for pain assessment and management and education of health professionals has been shown to be most effective. Conclusion: Patient education is effective in reducing cancer pain and should be standard practice in all settings. For optimal results, patient education should be integrated with other strategies for implementing evidence-based, person-centered care and overcoming barriers at the levels of patient, provider, and health system. © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Luckett, T, Phillips, J, Agar, M, Virdun, C, Green, A & Davidson, PM 2014, 'Elements of effective palliative care models: a rapid review', BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1-22.
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Background: Population ageing, changes to the profiles of life-limiting illnesses and evolving societal attitudes prompt a critical evaluation of models of palliative care. We set out to identify evidence-based models of palliative care to inform policy reform in Australia. Method. A rapid review of electronic databases and the grey literature was undertaken over an eight week period in April-June 2012. We included policy documents and comparative studies from countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published in English since 2001. Meta-analysis was planned where >1 study met criteria; otherwise, synthesis was narrative using methods described by Popay et al. (2006). Results: Of 1,959 peer-reviewed articles, 23 reported systematic reviews, 9 additional RCTs and 34 non-randomised comparative studies. Variation in the content of models, contexts in which these were implemented and lack of detailed reporting meant that elements of models constituted a more meaningful unit of analysis than models themselves. Case management was the element most consistently reported in models for which comparative studies provided evidence for effectiveness. Essential attributes of population-based palliative care models identified by policy and addressed by more than one element were communication and coordination between providers (including primary care), skill enhancement, and capacity to respond rapidly to individuals' changing needs and preferences over time. Conclusion: Models of palliative care should integrate specialist expertise with primary and community care services and enable transitions across settings, including residential aged care. The increasing complexity of care needs, services, interventions and contextual drivers warrants future research aimed at elucidating the interactions between different components and the roles played by patient, provider and health system factors. The findings of this review are limi...
Lund, ME, O'Brien, BA, Hutchinson, AT, Robinson, MW, Simpson, AM, Dalton, JP & Donnelly, S 2014, 'Secreted Proteins from the Helminth Fasciola hepatica Inhibit the Initiation of Autoreactive T Cell Responses and Prevent Diabetes in the NOD Mouse', PLOS ONE, vol. 9, no. 1, p. e86289.
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Infections with helminth parasites prevent/attenuate auto-inflammatory disease. Here we show that molecules secreted by a helminth parasite could prevent Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. When delivered at 4 weeks of age (coincident with the initiation of autoimmunity), the excretory/secretory products of Fasciola hepatica (FhES) prevented the onset of T1D, with 84% of mice remaining normoglycaemic and insulitis-free at 30 weeks of age. Disease protection was associated with suppression of IFN-γ secretion from autoreactive T cells and a switch to the production of a regulatory isotype (from IgG2a to IgG1) of autoantibody. Following FhES injection, peritoneal macrophages converted to a regulatory M2 phenotype, characterised by increased expression levels of Ym1, Arg-1, TGFb and PD-L1. Expression of these M2 genetic markers increased in the pancreatic lymph nodes and the pancreas of FhES-treated mice. In vitro , FhES-stimulated M2 macrophages induced the differentiation of Tregs from splenocytes isolated from naïve NOD mice. Collectively, our data shows that FhES contains immune-modulatory molecules that mediate protection from autoimmune diabetes via the induction and maintenance of a regulatory immune environment. © 2014 Lund et al.
Macha, IJ, Ben-Nissan, B & Milthorpe, B 2014, 'Improvement of Elongation in Nanosurface Modified Bioglass/PLA Thin Film Composites', CURRENT NANOSCIENCE, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 200-204.
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Marshall, GM, Carter, DR, Cheung, BB, Liu, T, Mateos, MK, Meyerowitz, JG & Weiss, WA 2014, 'The prenatal origins of cancer', Nature Reviews Cancer, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 277-289.
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Martinac, B, Nomura, T, Chi, G, Petrov, E, Rohde, PR, Battle, AR, Foo, A, Constantine, M, Rothnagel, R, Carne, S, Deplazes, E, Cornell, B, Cranfield, CG, Hankamer, B & Landsberg, MJ 2014, 'Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels: Models for Studying Mechanosensory Transduction', ANTIOXIDANTS & REDOX SIGNALING, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 952-969.
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Significance: Sensations of touch and hearing are manifestations of mechanical contact and air pressure acting on touch receptors and hair cells of the inner ear, respectively. In bacteria, osmotic pressure exerts a significant mechanical force on their cellular membrane. Bacteria have evolved mechanosensitive (MS) channels to cope with excessive turgor pressure resulting from a hypo-osmotic shock. MS channel opening allows the expulsion of osmolytes and water, thereby restoring normal cellular turgor and preventing cell lysis. Recent Advances: As biological force-sensing systems, MS channels have been identified as the best examples of membrane proteins coupling molecular dynamics to cellular mechanics. The bacterial MS channel of large conductance (MscL) and MS channel of small conductance (MscS) have been subjected to extensive biophysical, biochemical, genetic, and structural analyses. These studies have established MscL and MscS as model systems for mechanosensory transduction. Critical Issues: In recent years, MS ion channels in mammalian cells have moved into focus of mechanotransduction research, accompanied by an increased awareness of the role they may play in the pathophysiology of diseases, including cardiac hypertrophy, muscular dystrophy, or Xerocytosis. Future Directions: A recent exciting development includes the molecular identification of Piezo proteins, which function as nonselective cation channels in mechanosensory transduction associated with senses of touch and pain. Since research on Piezo channels is very young, applying lessons learned from studies of bacterial MS channels to establishing the mechanism by which the Piezo channels are mechanically activated remains one of the future challenges toward a better understanding of the role that MS channels play in mechanobiology. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 20, 952-969. © 2014 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
McGrath, KC, Li, XH, Whitworth, PT, Kasz, R, Tan, JT, McLennan, SV, Celermajer, DS, Barter, PJ, Rye, K-A & Heather, AK 2014, 'High density lipoproteins improve insulin sensitivity in high-fat diet-fed mice by suppressing hepatic inflammation', Journal of Lipid Research, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 421-430.
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Obesity-induced liver inflammation can drive insulin resistance. HDL has anti-inflammatory properties, so we hypothesized that low levels of HDL would perpetuate inflammatory responses in the liver and that HDL treatment would suppress liver inflammation and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lipid-free apoAI on hepatic inflammation and insulin resistance in mice. We also investigated apoAI as a component of reconstituted HDLs (rHDLs) in hepatocytes to confirm results we observed in vivo. To test our hypothesis, C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks and administered either saline or lipid-free apoAI. Injections of lipid-free apoAI twice a week for 2 or 4 weeks with lipid-free apoAI resulted in: i) improved insulin sensitivity associated with decreased systemic and hepatic inflammation; ii) suppression of hepatic mRNA expression for key transcriptional regulators of lipogenic gene expression; and iii) suppression of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation. Human hepatoma HuH-7 cells exposed to rHDLs showed suppressed TNFα-induced NF-κB activation, correlating with decreased NF-κB target gene expression. We conclude that apoAI suppresses liver inflammation in HFD mice and improves insulin resistance via a mechanism that involves a downregulation of NF-κB activation. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
McGrath, KCY, Li, X & Heather, AK 2014, 'Apolipoporotein A-I mimetic peptides improved insulin sensitivity in high fat diet fed mice', Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, vol. 8, pp. 64-65.
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Mendham, AE, Duffield, R, Marino, F & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Differences in Post-Exercise Inflammatory and Glucose Regulatory Response Between Sedentary Indigenous Australian and Caucasian Men Completing a Single Bout of Cycling', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 208-214.
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Objectives: This study compared the acute inflammatory and glucose responses following aerobic exercise in sedentary Indigenous Australian and Caucasian men, matched for fitness and body composition. Methods: Sedentary Indigenous (n510) and Caucasian (n59) Australian men who were free from chronic disease volunteered to participate. Following baseline testing, participants completed a 40 min cycling bout at 80% maximal heart rate. Fasting venous blood was collected pre, 0, 30, 60, and 240 min post-exercise for analysis of glucose, insulin, cortisol, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-1 receptor agonist (ra), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Resting TNF-a and glucose concentrations were significantly higher in the Indigenous group (P<0.05). IL- 6 and IL-1ra were elevated for longer in Caucasian (P<0.05), compared with the Indigenous group (P>0.05). The post-exercise (0 min) increase in cortisol and glucose for the Caucasians was higher (P<0.05) than the attenuated responses within the Indigenous group (P>0.05). Conclusions: Despite being matched for fitness and body composition the Indigenous men had elevated resting TNF-a and glucose compared with the Caucasian men, which may have contributed to the suppressed post-exercise anti-inflammatory response of the Indigenous men; however, glucose normalized between groups post-exercise. As such, it is recommended for acute moderate-intensity exercise to be completed daily for long-term improvements in glucose regulation, irrespective of ancestry. Of note, results suggest it to be even more pertinent for exercise to be encouraged for Indigenous Australian men due to their elevated resting glucose levels at a younger age, when compared to the respective Caucasian group.
Mendham, AE, Duffield, R, Marino, F & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Small-sided games training reduces CRP, IL-6 and leptin in sedentary, middle-aged men', EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY, vol. 114, no. 11, pp. 2289-2297.
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© 2014, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Purpose: Long-term physical activity is reported to improve chronic systemic inflammation, which provides protection against the ensuing development of chronic disease. Accordingly, the present study assessed changes in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, aerobic capacity and body composition following 8 weeks of either small-sided games (SSG) or cycling (CYC) training compared to a sedentary control (CON) condition.Methods: Thirty-three middle-aged, sedentary men were randomized into CYC (n = 11), SSG (n = 11), or CON (n = 11) conditions. The CYC and SSG conditions trained 3 days/week for 8 weeks, whilst CON maintained habitual activity and dietary patterns. Pre- and post-intervention testing included a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, sub-maximal (80 % maximal heart rate) aerobic capacity (VO2) and fasting venous blood. Venous blood measures for pro-inflammatory markers included C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and leptin; anti-inflammatory markers included IL-10, IL-1 receptor agonist, and adiponectin.Results: Both CYC and SSG increased submaximal power output and VO2 (P < 0.05), decreased total body fat-mass (TB-FM; P < 0.05), and CRP (SSG, −0.45 ± 0.42 mg L−1; P = 0.008; CYC, −0.44 ± 0.59 mg L−1; P = 0.02). Only SSG increased total body fat-free mass (TB-FFM; +1.1 ± 1.2 kg; P = 0.001) and decreased concentration of plasma IL-6 (−0.69 ± 0.62 pg mL−1; P = 0.002) and leptin (−2,212 ± 2,531 ng mL−1; P = 0.014).Conclusion: Cycling and SSG training were both effective at improving CRP, VO2 and TB-FM. Furthermore, SSG training has also shown to be an effective training approach in reducing IL-6 and leptin and increasing muscle mass within sedentary, middle-aged men.
Misener, L & Darcy, S 2014, 'Managing disability sport: From athletes with disabilities to inclusive organisational perspectives', Sport Management Review, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 1-7.
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Disability is a complex multidimensional social construct. In a sporting context, people with a disability often face a multitude of barriers to participation in sport and achievement in sport. While other marginalised populations have received attention in the field of sport management, disability has received very little, or been used primarily as a context. This special issue focuses on 'managing disability sport' rather than the medical, human performance or sociocultural issues facing people with disability. The collection of papers herein focus on management issues that centre on constraints to sport participation, supply side attributes, participant behaviours, consumption of disability sport, policy implementation, and sponsor congruence. We situate these papers in the context of further challenging researchers to think beyond disability as a context in their research and engage in the critical discussions necessary to advance the agenda of managing disability sport. © 2013 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand.
Newton-John, TRO 2014, 'Negotiating the Maze: Risk Factors for Suicidal Behavior in Chronic Pain Patients', CURRENT PAIN AND HEADACHE REPORTS, vol. 18, no. 9.
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© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Chronic pain disorders can exert major negative effects on virtually every aspect of an individual’s life. It is not surprising then that many chronic pain sufferers find themselves at a point of emotional fragility where they experience thoughts of ending their life. Suicidal behavior encompasses a spectrum of experience, from “life weariness” or passive suicidal ideation, to more active suicidal intent and suicide completion. A range of risk factors for suicidal behavior in the general population have been identified, and these apply equally to the chronic pain population: a family history of mental illness, past history of suicide attempts, and the presence of comorbid depression. With regard specifically to chronic pain patients, elevated suicide risk is also associated with severe or recurrent headache, ambiguous diagnoses (psychogenic pain, abdominal pain), and medicolegal issues related to the pain. A number of suggestions for clinicians managing chronic pain patients with regards to managing suicide risk are given.
Newton-John, TRO, Mason, C & Hunter, M 2014, 'The Role of Resilience in Adjustment and Coping With Chronic Pain', REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 360-365.
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Purpose: In clinical practice, it is often noted that some individuals struggle with chronic pain, while others find effective means to cope. The purpose of this study was to better understand how resilience fits into coping with persistent pain problems. Of interest was whether measures of resilience add to the prediction of adjustment to chronic pain over and above measures of pain coping as typically used with this patient group. Method: Individuals (N = 101) with chronic pain who attended an initial assessment at a pain clinic completed self-report measures of resilience and coping. Pain related outcome data were also collected. Results: Bivariate correlations indicated that higher resilience was associated with significantly less fear avoidance, less pain-related disability, and lower reported pain intensity. Consistent with theoretical propositions, bivariate analyses also indicated that more resilient individuals with chronic pain reported better social support, and were more likely to be working. Higher resilience was also positively correlated with greater pain self-efficacy. However, when hierarchical regression analyses were performed, resilience did not add significantly to the prediction of depression scores and disability scores, over and above the contribution made by existing measures of pain coping. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, although the construct of resilience appears to have important relationships with various dimensions of chronic pain, as currently operationalized, it does not add significantly to the understanding of chronic-pain adjustment. Rather than abandoning the resilience construct, our findings suggest that resilience as applied to the problem of chronic pain may require a refinement in measurement with this population. © 2014 American Psychological Association.
Nguyen, TN, Su, S & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'Neural Network Based Diagonal Decoupling Control of Powered Wheelchair Systems', IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 371-378.
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This paper proposes an advanced diagonal decou- pling control method for powered wheelchair systems. This control method is based on a combination of the systematic diagonaliza- tion technique and the neural network control design. As such, this control method reduces coupling effects on a multivariable system, leading to independent control design procedures. Using an obtained dynamic model, the problem of the plants Jacobian calculation is eliminated in a neural network control design. The effectiveness of the proposed control method is verified in a real-time implementation on a powered wheelchair system. The obtained results confirm that robustness and desired performance of the overall system are guaranteed, even under parameter uncertainty effects.
Nguyen, TN, Su, S, Celler, B & Nguyen, H 2014, 'Advanced portable remote monitoring system for the regulation of treadmill running exercises', Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 119-126.
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This study aims to develop an advanced portable remote monitoring system to supervise high intensity treadmill exercises. The supervisory level of the developed hierarchical system is implemented on a portable monitoring device (iPhone/iPad) as a client application, while the real-time control of treadmill exercises is accomplished by using an on-line adaptive neural network control scheme in a local computer system. During training or rehabilitation exercises, the intensity (measured by heart rate) is regulated by simultaneously manipulating both treadmill speed and gradient. In order to achieve adaptive tracking performance, a neural network controller has been designed and implemented. Six real-time experiments have been conducted to test the performance of the developed monitoring system. Experimental results obtained in real-time with heart-rate set-point varying from 145 bpm to 180 bmp, demonstrate that the proposed system can quickly and accurately regulate exercise intensity of treadmill running exercises with desired performance (no overshoot, settling time Ts = 100 s). Subjects aged from 29 to 38 years old participated in different set-point experiments to confirm the system's adaptability to inter- and intra-model uncertainty. The desired system performance under external disturbances has also been confirmed in a final real-time experiment demonstrating a user carrying the 10 kg bag then removing it during the exercise. In contrast with conventional control approaches, the proposed adaptive controller achieves better heart rate tracking performance under inter- and intra-model uncertainty and external disturbances. The developed system can automatically adapt to various individual exercisers and a range of exercise intensity.
Nguyen, TV 2014, 'Osteoarthritis in southeast Asia', International Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 405-408.
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial and
complex disease that involves change in
articular bone and cartilage structure. The
multifactorial nature of OA is that the disease
is not a single entity, but encompasses
many entities, including the the loss of cartilage
within synovial joints, hypertrophy
of bone, and thickening of the capsule. The
complexity is in the causality and etiology
of the disease as its risk is determined by
multiple, and probably interactive, effects of
genetic and environmental factors.
Ni, P, Zhou, J, Wang, ZX, Nie, R, Phillips, J & Mao, J 2014, 'Advance Directive and End-of-Life Care Preferences Among Nursing Home Residents in Wuhan, China: A Cross-Sectional Study', Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 751-756.
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© 2014 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Objectives: To describe Chinese nursing home residents' knowledge of advance directive (AD) and end-of-life care preferences and to explore the predictors of their preference for AD. Design: Population-based cross-sectional survey. Settings: Nursing homes (n= 31) in Wuhan, Mainland Southern China. Participants: Cognitively intact nursing home residents (n= 467) older than 60 years. Measures: Face-to-face questionnaire interviews were used to collect information on demographics, chronic diseases, life-sustaining treatment, AD, and other end-of-life care preferences. Results: Most (95.3%) had never heard of AD, and fewer than one-third (31.5%) preferred to make an AD. More than half (52.5%) would receive life-sustaining treatment if they sustained a life-threatening condition. Fewer than one-half (43.3%) chose doctors as the surrogate decision maker about life-sustaining treatment, whereas most (78.8%) nominated their eldest son or daughter as their proxy. More than half (58.2%) wanted to live and die in their present nursing homes. The significant independent predictors of AD preference included having heard of AD before (odds ratio [OR] 9.323), having definite answers of receiving (OR 3.433) or rejecting (OR 2.530) life-sustaining treatment, and higher Cumulative Illness Rating Scale score (OR 1.098). Conclusions: Most nursing home residents did not know about AD, and nearly one-third showed positive attitudes toward it. AD should be promoted in mainland China. Education of residents, the proxy decision maker, and nursing home staff on AD is very important. Necessary policy support, legislation, or practice guidelines about AD should be made with flexibility to respect nursing home residents' rights in mainland China.
Nield, BS, Guzowski, R, Nassif, N, Simpson, AM & Martiniello-Wilks, R 2014, 'First use of Re: View: A tool to combine assessment tasks, marking criteria and graduate attributes for biochemistry students', International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, vol. 22, no. 7, pp. 49-64.
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In order to improve clarity of the link between assessment tasks and graduate attributes to students, Re:View was introduced across three undergraduate biochemistry subjects. Re:View is an online assessment tool which provides a direct visual link between graduate attributes and marking criteria. It also provides students with an easy access portal to retrieve their grade and assessor feedback on assessment tasks. Our aim was to improve the second and third year biochemistry student laboratory-based learning experience by developing and clarifying the link between assessment tasks, marking criteria and graduate attributes, using Re:View as the assessment tool. Student opinion showed Re:View was of benefit to align marking criteria with graduate attributes, and provided easy access to feedback which could be used to improve future work. This first use of Re:View, with development of criterion-referenced marking criteria and rubrics, has revolutionised assessment in the three biochemistry subjects under study. With the use of Re:View we have clarified the link between assessment tasks and marking criteria, and enhanced student engagement with laboratory-based assessment tasks, which has improved their written assessment performance.
O'Connell, DL, Goldsbury, DE, Davidson, P, Girgis, A, Phillips, JL, Piza, M, Wilkinson, A & Ingham, JM 2014, 'Acute hospital-based services utilisation during the last year of life in New South Wales, Australia: methods for a population-based study', BMJ OPEN, vol. 4, no. 3.
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The aim of this study is to describe healthcare utilisation in the last year of life for people in Australia, to help inform health services planning. The methods and datasets that are being used are described in this paper.
Oliver, BGG, Robinson, P, Peters, M & Black, J 2014, 'Viral infections and asthma: an inflammatory interface?', European Respiratory Journal, vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 1666-1681.
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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in which the majority of patients respond to treatment with corticosteroids and β2-adrenoceptor agonists. Acute exacerbations of asthma substantially contribute to disease morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs, and are not restricted to patients who are not compliant with their treatment regimens. Given that respiratory viral infections are the principal cause of asthma exacerbations, this review article will explore the relationship between viral infections and asthma, and will put forward hypotheses as to why virus-induced exacerbations occur. Potential mechanisms that may explain why current therapeutics do not fully inhibit virus-induced exacerbations, for example, β2-adrenergic desensitisation and corticosteroid insensitivity, are explored, as well as which aspects of virus-induced inflammation are likely to be attenuated by current therapy.
Pant, R, Marpaung, D, Kabakova, IV, Morrison, B, Poulton, CG & Eggleton, BJ 2014, 'On-chip stimulated Brillouin Scattering for microwave signal processing and generation', Laser & Photonics Reviews, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 653-666.
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Papageorgiou, I, Abberton, T, Fuller, M, Tipper, J, Fisher, J & Ingham, E 2014, 'Biological Effects of Clinically Relevant CoCr Nanoparticles in the Dura Mater: An Organ Culture Study', Nanomaterials, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 485-504.
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Papageorgiou, I, Marsh, R, Tipper, JL, Hall, RM, Fisher, J & Ingham, E 2014, 'Interaction of micron and nano‐sized particles with cells of the dura mater', Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials, vol. 102, no. 7, pp. 1496-1505.
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AbstractIntervertebral total disc replacements (TDR) are used in the treatment of degenerative spinal disc disease. There are, however, concerns that they may be subject to long‐term failure due to wear. The adverse effects of TDR wear have the potential to manifest in the dura mater and surrounding tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological structure of the dura mater, isolate the resident dural epithelial and stromal cells and analyse the capacity of these cells to internalise model polymer particles. The porcine dura mater was a collagen‐rich structure encompassing regularly arranged fibroblastic cells within an outermost epithelial cell layer. The isolated dural epithelial cells had endothelial cell characteristics (positive for von Willebrand factor, CD31, E‐cadherin and desmoplakin) and barrier functionality whereas the fibroblastic cells were positive for collagen I and III, tenascin and actin. The capacity of the dural cells to take up model particles was dependent on particle size. Nanometer sized particles readily penetrated both types of cells. However, dural fibroblasts engulfed micron‐sized particles at a much higher rate than dural epithelial cells. The study suggested that dural epithelial cells may offer some barrier to the penetration of micron‐sized particles but not nanometer sized particles. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 102B: 1496–1505, 2014.
Parker, D 2014, 'Moving from research generation to knowledge translation in end-of-life care in long term care', Palliative Medicine, vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 1079-1080.
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Parker, D & Clifton, K 2014, 'Guest commentary: Residential aged care: The de facto hospice for New Zealand's older people', Australasian Journal on Ageing, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 72-73.
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Patel, M, Miro, JV, Kragic, D, Ek, CH & Dissanayake, G 2014, 'Learning object, grasping and manipulation activities using hierarchical HMMs', Autonomous Robots, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 317-331.
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This article presents a probabilistic algorithm for representing and learning complex manipulation activities performed by humans in everyday life. The work builds on the multi-level Hierarchical Hidden Markov Model (HHMM) framework which allows decomposition of longer-term complex manipulation activities into layers of abstraction whereby the building blocks can be represented by simpler action modules called action primitives. This way, human task knowledge can be synthesised in a compact, effective representation suitable, for instance, to be subsequently transferred to a robot for imitation. The main contribution is the use of a robust framework capable of dealing with the uncertainty or incomplete data inherent to these activities, and the ability to represent behaviours at multiple levels of abstraction for enhanced task generalisation. Activity data from 3D video sequencing of human manipulation of different objects handled in everyday life is used for evaluation. A comparison with a mixed generative-discriminative hybrid model HHMM/SVM (support vector machine) is also presented to add rigour in highlighting the benefit of the proposed approach against comparable state of the art techniques. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Pathé, M, Phillips, J, Perdacher, E & Heffernan, E 2014, 'The Harassment of Queensland Members of Parliament: A Mental Health Concern', Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 577-584.
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Pendharkar, G, Naik, GR & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'Using Blind Source Separation on accelerometry data to analyze and distinguish the toe walking gait from normal gait in ITW children', Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, vol. 13, pp. 41-49.
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Gait analysis is an important aspect of Biomedical Engineering. In the recent past, researchers have applied several signal processing methods for the analysis of gait activities. Sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and pressure sensors are more commonly used to identify gait activities remotely. Most of the applications have multiple sensors placed on a single board which is used for gait assessment. However, the problem with multiple sensors is the cross talk introduced by one sensor due to another sensor. Some of the applications use a single sensor such as accelerometer with dual axis measuring the gait activity in horizontal and vertical planes. Depending on the orientation of the accelerometer, the two axial outputs could have overlapping spectra which is very difficult to observe. Spectral and temporal filtering is not suitable for this because of overlapping spectra due to simultaneous movements of the foot in the horizontal and vertical planes. To reliably identify the gait activities, there is a need to decompose and separate the two vertical and horizontal acceleration signals. The earlier research has described a novel method which can be used remotely to identify the gait in ITW children. This paper discusses a lab based automated classification method using Blind Source Separation (BSS) technique to identify toe walking gait from normal gait in Idiopathic Toe Walkers (ITW) children. The outcome of the research study reveals that the BSS techniques in association with K-means classifier can suitably distinguish toe-walking gait from normal gait in ITW children with 97.9 ± 0.2% accuracy.
Perera, D, Chacon, D, Thoms, JAI, Poulos, RC, Shlien, A, Beck, D, Campbell, PJ, Pimanda, JE & Wong, JWH 2014, 'OncoCis: annotation of cis-regulatory mutations in cancer', GENOME BIOLOGY, vol. 15, no. 10, pp. 1-14.
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Whole genome sequencing has enabled the identification of thousands of somatic mutations within non-coding genomic regions of individual cancer samples. However, identification of mutations that potentially alter gene regulation remains a major challenge. Here we present OncoCis, a new method that enables identification of potential cis-regulatory mutations using cell type-specific genome and epigenome-wide datasets along with matching gene expression data. We demonstrate that the use of cell type-specific information and gene expression can significantly reduce the number of candidate cis-regulatory mutations compared with existing tools designed for the annotation of cis-regulatory SNPs.
Petriwskyj, A, Gibson, A, Parker, D, Banks, S, Andrews, S & Robinson, A 2014, 'A qualitative metasynthesis', International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 87-104.
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Petriwskyj, A, Gibson, A, Parker, D, Banks, S, Andrews, S & Robinson, A 2014, 'Family involvement in decision making for people with dementia in residential aged care', International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 64-86.
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Phillips, J 2014, 'A service versus an approach: the importance of building primary palliative care', International Journal of Palliative Nursing, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 471-471.
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Phillips, J, Andrews, L & Hickman, L 2014, 'Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, or Burnout: Are These Areas of Concern for Australian Palliative Care Volunteers? Pilot Study Results', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HOSPICE & PALLIATIVE MEDICINE, vol. 31, no. 7, pp. 749-755.
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To determine whether burnout, role ambiguity, or conflict affects Australian hospice volunteers.
Phillips, JL, Heneka, N, Hickman, L, Lam, L & Shaw, T 2014, 'Impact of a novel online learning module on specialist palliative care nurses' pain assessment competencies and patients' reports of pain: Results from a quasi-experimental pilot study', PALLIATIVE MEDICINE, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 521-529.
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Background: Pain is a complex multidimensional phenomenon moderated by consumer, provider and health system factors. Effective pain management cuts across professional boundaries, with failure to screen and assess contributing to the burden of unrelieved pain. Aim: To test the impact of an online pain assessment learning module on specialist palliative care nurses pain assessment competencies, and to determine whether this education impacted positively on palliative care patients reported pain ratings. Design: A quasi-experimental pain assessment education pilot study utilising Qstream, an online methodology to deliver 11 casebased pain assessment learning scenarios, developed by an interdisciplinary expert panel and delivered to participants work emails over a 28-day period in mid-2012. The Self-Perceived Pain Assessment Competencies survey and chart audit data, including patientreported pain intensity ratings, were collected pre-intervention (T1) and post-intervention (T2) and analysed using inferential statistics to determine key outcomes. Setting/participants: Nurses working at two Australian inpatient specialist palliative care services in 2012. Results: The results reported conform to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Guidelines. Participants who completed the education intervention (n = 34) increased their pain assessment knowledge, assessment tool knowledge and confidence to undertake a pain assessment (p < 0.001). Participants were more likely to document pain intensity scores in patients medical records than non-participants (95% confidence interval = 7.3%-22.7%, p = 0.021). There was also a significant reduction in the mean patient-reported pain ratings between the admission and audit date at post-test of 1.5 (95% confidence interval = 0.7-2.3) units in pain score. Conclusion: This pilot confers confidence of the education interventions capacity to improve specialist palliative care nurses pain ...
Phillips, JL, Lam, L, Luckett, T, Agar, M & Currow, D 2014, 'Is the Life Space Assessment Applicable to a Palliative Care Population? Its Relationship to Measures of Performance and Quality of Life', JOURNAL OF PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 1121-1127.
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The spatial environments that palliative care patients frequent for business and leisure constrict as their disease progresses and their physical functioning deteriorates. Measuring a persons movement within his or her own environment is a clinically relevant and patient-centered outcome because it measures function in a way that reflects actual and not theoretical participation.
Pinart, M, Hussain, F, Shirali, S, Li, F, Zhu, J, Clark, AR, Ammit, AJ & Chung, KF 2014, 'Role of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 in corticosteroid insensitivity of chronic oxidant lung injury', European Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 744, pp. 108-114.
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Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in the induction of corticosteroid (CS) insensitivity. Chronic ozone exposure leads to a model of COPD with lung inflammation and emphysema. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) may underlie CS insensitivity in COPD. We determined the role played by MKP-1 by studying the effect of corticosteroids in wild-type C57/BL6J and MKP-1(-/-) mice after chronic ozone exposure. Mice were exposed to ozone (3 ppm, 3 h) 12 times over 6 weeks. Dexamethasone (0.1 or 2 mg/kg; intraperitoneally) was administered before each exposure. Mice were studied 24 h after final exposure. In ozone-exposed C57/BL6J mice, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) was not inhibited by both doses of dexamethasone, but in MKP-1(-/-) mice, there was a small inhibition by high dose dexamethasone (2 mg/kg). There was an increase in mean linear intercept after chronic ozone exposure in both strains which was CS-insensitive. There was lesser inflammation after low dose of dexamethasone in MKP-1(-/-) mice compared to C57/Bl6J mice. Epithelial and collagen areas were modulated in ozone-exposed MKP-1(-/-) mice treated with dexamethasone compared to C57/Bl6J mice. MKP-1 regulated the expression of MMP-12, IL-13 and KC induced by ozone but did not alter dexamethasone׳s effects. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness, lung inflammation and emphySEMa after chronic exposure are CS-insensitive, and the contribution of MKP-1 to CS sensitivity in this model was negligible.
Racinais, S, Buchheit, M, Bilsborough, J, Bourdon, PC, Cordy, J & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Physiological and Performance Responses to a Training Camp in the Heat in Professional Australian Football Players', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 598-603.
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Purpose: To examine the physiological and performance responses to a heat-acclimatization camp in highly trained professional team-sport athletes. Methods: Eighteen male Australian Rules Football players trained for 2 wk in hot ambient conditions (3133°C, humidity 3450%). Players performed a laboratory-based heat-response test (24-min walk + 24 min seated; 44°C), a YoYo Intermittent Recovery Level 2 Test (YoYoIR2; indoor, temperate environment, 23°C) and standardized training drills (STD; outdoor, hot environment, 32°C) at the beginning and end of the camp. Results: The heat-response test showed partial heat acclimatization (eg, a decrease in skin temperature, heart rate, and sweat sodium concentration, P < .05). In addition, plasma volume (PV, CO rebreathing, +2.68 [0.83; 4.53] mL/kg) and distance covered during both the YoYoIR2 (+311 [260; 361] m) and the STD (+45.6 [13.9; 77.4] m) increased postcamp (P < .01). None of the performance changes showed clear correlations with PV changes (r < .24), but the improvements in running STD distance in hot environment were correlated with changes in hematocrit during the heat-response test (r = .52, 90%CI [.77; .12]). There was no clear correlation between the performance improvements in temperate and hot ambient conditions (r < .26). Conclusion: Running performance in both hot and temperate environments was improved after a football training camp in hot ambient conditions that stimulated heat acclimatization. However, physiological and performance responses were highly individual, and the absence of correlations between physical-performance improvements in hot and temperate environments suggests that their physiological basis might differ.
Rahman, MM, Alkhouri, H, Tang, F, Che, W, Ge, Q & Ammit, AJ 2014, 'Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Induces Neutrophil Chemoattractant IL-8: Repression by Steroids', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. e92466-e92466.
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The bioactive sphingolipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is found in increased amounts in the airways of asthmatics. S1P can regulate airway smooth muscle functions associated with asthmatic inflammation and remodeling, including cytokine secretion. To date however, whether S1P induces secretion of an important chemokine responsible for neutrophilia in airway inflammation--IL-8--was unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate whether S1P induces IL-8 gene expression and secretion to enhance neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro, as well as examine the molecular mechanisms responsible for repression by the corticosteroid dexamethasone. We show that S1P upregulates IL-8 secretion from ASM cells and enhance neutrophil chemotaxis in vitro. The corticosteroid dexamethasone significantly represses IL-8 mRNA expression and protein secretion in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Additionally, we reveal that S1P-induced IL-8 secretion is p38 MAPK and ERK-dependent and that these key phosphoproteins act on the downstream effector mitogen- and stress-activated kinase 1 (MSK1) to control secretion of the neutrophil chemoattractant cytokine IL-8. The functional relevance of this in vitro data was demonstrated by neutrophil chemotaxis assays where S1P-induced effects can be significantly attenuated by pretreatment with dexamethasone, pharmacological inhibition of p38 MAPK- or ERK-mediated pathways, or by knocking down MSK-1 with siRNA. Taken together, our study reveals the molecular pathways responsible for IL-8 secretion from ASM cells in response to S1P and indicates ways in which the impact on IL-8-driven neutrophilia may be lessened.
Ren, J, Ellis, J & Li, J 2014, 'Influenza A HA's conserved epitopes and broadly neutralizing antibodies: A prediction method', JOURNAL OF BIOINFORMATICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, vol. 12, no. 5.
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Ren, J, Liu, Q, Ellis, J & Li, J 2014, 'Tertiary structure-based prediction of conformational B-cell epitopes through B factors', BIOINFORMATICS, vol. 30, no. 12, pp. 264-273.
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Motivation: B-cell epitope is a small area on the surface of an antigen that binds to an antibody. Accurately locating epitopes is of critical importance for vaccine development. Compared with wet-lab methods, computational methods have strong potential for efficient and large-scale epitope prediction for antigen candidates at much lower cost. However, it is still not clear which features are good determinants for accurate epitope prediction, leading to the unsatisfactory performance of existing prediction methods.
Method and results: We propose a much more accurate B-cell epitope prediction method. Our method uses a new feature B factor (obtained from X-ray crystallography), combined with other basic physicochemical, statistical, evolutionary and structural features of each residue. These basic features are extended by a sequence window and a structure window. All these features are then learned by a two-stage random forest model to identify clusters of antigenic residues and to remove isolated outliers. Tested on a dataset of 55 epitopes from 45 tertiary structures, we prove that our method significantly outperforms all three existing structure-based epitope predictors. Following comprehensive analysis, it is found that features such as B factor, relative accessible surface area and protrusion index play an important role in characterizing B-cell epitopes. Our detailed case studies on an HIV antigen and an influenza antigen confirm that our second stage learning is effective for clustering true antigenic residues and for eliminating self-made prediction errors introduced by the first-stage learning.
Rodgers, KJ 2014, 'Non-protein amino acids and neurodegeneration: The enemy within', EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY, vol. 253, pp. 192-196.
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Animals, in common with plants and microorganisms, synthesise proteins from a pool of 20 protein amino acids (plus selenocysteine and pyrolysine) (Hendrickson et al., 2004). This represents a small proportion (~2%) of the total number of amino acids known to exist in nature (Bell, 2003). Many 'non-protein' amino acids are synthesised by plants, and in some cases constitute part of their chemical armoury against pathogens, predators or other species competing for the same resources (Fowden et al., 1967). Microorganisms can also use selectively toxic amino acids to gain advantage over competing organisms (Nunn et al., 2010). Since non-protein amino acids (and imino acids) are present in legumes, fruits, seeds and nuts, they are ubiquitous in the diets of human populations around the world. Toxicity to humans is unlikely to have been the selective force for their evolution, but they have the clear potential to adversely affect human health. In this review we explore the links between exposure to non-protein amino acids and neurodegenerative disorders in humans. Environmental factors play a major role in these complex disorders which are predominantly sporadic (Coppede et al., 2006). The discovery of new genes associated with neurodegenerative diseases, many of which code for aggregation-prone proteins, continues at a spectacular pace but little progress is being made in identifying the environmental factors that impact on these disorders. We make the case that insidious entry of non-protein amino acids into the human food chain and their incorporation into protein might be contributing significantly to neurodegenerative damage.
Rowsell, GJ, Reaburn, P, Toone, R, Smith, M & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'EFFECT OF RUN TRAINING AND COLD-WATER IMMERSION ON SUBSEQUENT CYCLE TRAINING QUALITY IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE TRIATHLETES', JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 1664-1672.
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The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of cold-water immersion (CWI) on physiological, psychological, and biochemical markers of recovery and subsequent cycling performance after intensive run training. Seven high-performance male triathletes (age: 28.6 ± 7.1 years; cycling VO2peak: 73.4 ± 10.2 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1)) completed 2 trials in a randomized crossover design consisting of 7 × 5-minute running intervals at 105% of individual anaerobic threshold followed by either CWI (10 ± 0.5° C) or thermoneutral water immersion (TNI; 34 ± 0.5° C). Subjects immersed their legs in water 5 times for 60 seconds with 60-second passive rest between each immersion. Nine hours after immersion, inflammatory and muscle damage markers, and perceived recovery measures were obtained before the subjects completed a 5-minute maximal cycling test followed by a high-quality cycling interval training set (6 × 5-minute intervals). Power output, heart rate, blood lactate (La), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were also recorded during the cycling time-trial and interval set. Performance was enhanced (change, ± 90% confidence limits) in the CWI condition during the cycling interval training set (power output [W · kg(-1)], 2.1 ± 1.7%, La [mmol · L(-1)], 18 ± 18.1%, La:RPE, 19.8 ± 17.5%). However, there was an unclear effect of CWI on 5-minute maximal cycling time-trial performance, and there was no significant influence on perceptual measures of fatigue/recovery, despite small to moderate effects. The effect of CWI on the biochemical markers was mostly unclear, however, there was a substantial effect for interleukin-10 (20 ± 13.4%). These results suggest that compared with TNI, CWI may be effective for enhancing cycling interval training performance after intensive interval-running training.
Saffari, M, Pakpour, AH, Mohammadi-Zeidi, I, Samadi, M & Chen, H 2014, 'Long-term effect of motivational interviewing on dietary intake and weight loss in Iranian obese/overweight women.', Health Promot Perspect, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 206-213.
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BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine whether motivational interviewing (MI) could change dietary habit and body mass index (BMI) in obese/overweight women. METHODS: A cluster-randomized controlled study was performed in four health centers in Qazvin, central Iran. In total, 327 obese/overweight women were selected by a multi-stage sampling method and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. Food frequency (using questionnaire; FFQ), BMI, and metabolic markers including blood pressure, total serum cholesterol and fasting blood glucose levels were measured in all participants. Data were collected twice (before and one year after the MI interventions). Data were analyzed using student t-test, and Stepwise Linear Regression. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in daily consumption of dietary fiber, whole grain products, fruits and vegetables in the MI group (P<0.05). The consumption of meat product, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate and total energy intake were also significantly reduced after MI intervention (P<0.05). As a result, body weight and BMI were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: MI is suggested to be an effective strategy to change life style and reduce BMI in overweight/obese women in the long term. This effect needs to be further investigated in different gender and age populations.
San, PP, Ling, SH, Nuryani & Nguyen, H 2014, 'Evolvable Rough-Block-Based Neural Network and Its Biomedical Application to Hypoglycemia Detection System', IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CYBERNETICS, vol. 44, no. 8, pp. 1338-1349.
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Shine, JM, Handojoseno, AMA, Nguyen, TN, Tran, Y, Naismith, SL, Nguyen, H & Lewis, SJG 2014, 'Abnormal patterns of theta frequency oscillations during the temporal evolution of freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease', Clinical Neurophysiology, vol. 125, no. 3, pp. 569-576.
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Objective: We sought to characterize the electrophysiological signature of Freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. Methods: We examined 24 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and significant freezing of gait as they performed a series of timed up-and-go tasks in their 'off' state while electroencephalographic data was collected from four scalp leads. Fast Fourier Transformation was utilized to explore the power spectral density between periods of normal walking and periods of freezing, as well as during the transition between the two states. In addition, Cross Spectrum and Cross Frequency analyses were used to explore the role of impaired temporal and spatial connectivity. Results: When compared to walking, episodes of freezing were associated with a significant increase in theta band power within the central and frontal leads. The transition from normal walking to freezing of gait was also associated with increased theta frequency coupling between the central and frontal leads, along with an increase in cross-frequency coupling in the central lead. Conclusions: Episodes of freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease are associated with abnormal oscillatory activity in the brain. Significance: These results provide novel insights into the pattern of spatiotemporal dynamics underlying freezing of gait and may provide a potential means for therapeutic prediction and alleviation of freezing episodes in susceptible patients. © 2013.
Slattery, KM, Dascombe, B, Wallace, LK, Bentley, DJ & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Effect of N-acetylcysteine on Cycling Performance after Intensified Training', MEDICINE AND SCIENCE IN SPORTS AND EXERCISE, vol. 46, no. 6, pp. 1114-1123.
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Effect of N-acetylcysteine on Cycling Performance after Intensified Training. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 46, No. 6, pp. 11141123, 2014. Purpose: This investigation examined the ergogenic effect of short-term oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation and the associated changes in redox balance and inflammation during intense training. Methods: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover design was used to assess 9 d of oral NAC supplementation (1200 mgIdj1) in 10 well-trained triathletes. For each supplement trial (NAC and placebo), baseline venous blood and urine samples were taken, and a presupplementation cycle ergometer race simulation was performed. After the loading period, further samples were collected preexercise, postexercise, and 2 and 24 h after the postsupplementation cycle ergometer race simulation. Changes in total antioxidant capacity, ferric reducing ability of plasma, reduced glutathione, oxidized glutathione, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, interleukin 6, xanthine oxidase, hypoxanthine, monocyte chemotactic protein 1, nuclear factor JB, and urinary 15-isoprostane F2t concentration were assessed. The experimental procedure was repeated with the remaining supplement after a 3-wk washout. Eight participants completed both supplementation trials. Results: NAC improved sprint performance during the cycle ergometer race simulation (P G 0.001, Gp 2 = 0.03). Supplementation with NAC also augmented postexercise plasma total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.005, Gp 2 = 0.19), reduced exercise-induced oxidative damage (plasma thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, P = 0.002, Gp 2 = 0.22; urinary 15-isoprostane F2t concentration, P = 0.010, Gp 2 = 0.431), attenuated inflammation (plasma interleukin 6, P = 0.002, Gp 2 = 0.22; monocyte chemotactic protein 1, P = 0.012, Gp 2 = 0.17), and increased postexercise nuclear factor JB activity (P G 0.001, Gp 2 = 0.21). Conclusion: Oral NAC supplementation improved cycling performance via an impr...
Song, R, Liu, Q, Hutvagner, G, Nguyen, H, Ramamohanarao, K, Wong, L & Li, J 2014, 'Rule discovery and distance separation to detect reliable miRNA biomarkers for the diagnosis of lung squamous cell carcinoma', BMC GENOMICS, vol. 15.
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© 2014 Song et al. Background: Altered expression profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) are linked to many diseases including lung cancer. miRNA expression profiling is reproducible and miRNAs are very stable. These characteristics of miRNAs make them ideal biomarker candidates. Method: This work is aimed to detect 2-and 3-miRNA groups, together with specific expression ranges of these miRNAs, to form simple linear discriminant rules for biomarker identification and biological interpretation. Our method is based on a novel committee of decision trees to derive 2-and 3-miRNA 100%-frequency rules. This method is applied to a data set of lung miRNA expression profiles of 61 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) samples and 10 normal tissue samples. A distance separation technique is used to select the most reliable rules which are then evaluated on a large independent data set. Results: We obtained four 2-miRNA and three 3-miRNA top-ranked rules. One important rule is that: If the expression level of miR-98 is above 7.356 and the expression level of miR-205 is below 9.601 (log2 quantile normalized MirVan miRNA Bioarray signals), then the sample is normal rather than cancerous with specificity and sensitivity both 100%. The classification performance of our best miRNA rules remarkably outperformed that by randomly selected miRNA rules. Our data analysis also showed that miR-98 and miR-205 have two common predicted target genes FZD3 and RPS6KA3, which are actually genes associated with carcinoma according to the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. We also found that most of the chromosomal loci of these miRNAs have a high frequency of genomic alteration in lung cancer. On the independent data set (with balanced controls), the three miRNAs miR-126, miR-205 and miR-182 from our best rule can separate the two classes of samples at the accuracy of 84.49%, sensitivity of 91.40% and specificity of 77.14%. Conclusion: Our results indicate that rule discovery foll...
Su, SW, Celler, BG & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'A new unconditionally stable condition based on singular perturbation analysis', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONTROL, vol. 87, no. 3, pp. 464-472.
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Decentralised configuration with integral control action is the most commonly used control strategy in engineering practice. For decentralised integral control, a desired design target is to achieve closed-loop unconditional stability. Campo and Morari presented steady-state conditions, which can be applied to analyse unconditional stability for most multivariable processes. However, they also showed some processes for which the unconditional stability cannot be determined by only investigating the steady-state gain matrices of the processes. This paper presented an easy to use criterion to determine unconditional stability by using singular perturbation analysis and eigen-value sensitivity analysis. Based on the proposed criterion, the unconditional stability of all the examples presented by Campo and Morari can be easily determined. In the meantime, we proved a conjecture proposed by Campo and Morari (a necessary and sufficient condition for Integral Controllability) for up to all Three-Input and Three-Output systems. For higher dimensional systems, we proposed a new conjecture to simplify the verification of Campo and Moraris conjecture.
Sullivan, C, Bilsborough, JC, Cianciosi, M, Hocking, J, Cordy, J & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Match score affects activity profile and skill performance in professional Australian Football players', JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE IN SPORT, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 326-331.
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Objectives To examine the influence of quarter outcome and the margin of the score differential on both the physical activity profile and skill performance of players during professional Australian Football matches. Design Prospective, longitudinal. Methods Physical activity profiles were assessed via microtechnology (Global Positioning System and accelerometer) from 40 professional AF players from the same team during 15 Australian Football League games. Skill performance measures (involvement and effectiveness) and player rank scores (Champion Data© Rank) were provided by a commercial statistical provider. The physical performance variables, skill involvements and individual player performance scores were expressed relative to playing time for each quarter. The influence of the quarter result (i.e. win vs. loss) and score margin (i.e. small: <9 points, moderate: 1018 points, and large: >19 points) on activity profile and skill involvements and skill efficiency performance of players were examined. Results Skill involvements (total disposals/min, long kicks/min, marks/min, running bounces/min and player rank/min) were greater in quarters won (all p < 0.01). In contrast, the players high speed running distance per minute (>14.5 km h-1, HSR/min), sprints/min and peak speed were higher in losing quarters (all p < 0.01). Smaller score margins were associated with increased physical activity (m/min, HSR/min, and body load/min, all p < 0.05) and decreased skill efficiency (handball clangers/min and player rank/min, all p < 0.05).
Sullivan, C, Bilsborough, JC, Cianciosi, M, Hocking, J, Cordy, JT & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'Factors Affecting Match Performance in Professional Australian Football', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 561-566.
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Objectives: To determine the physical activity measures and skill performance characteristics that contribute to coaches' perception of performance and player performance rank in professional Australian football (AF). Design: Prospective, longitudinal. Methods: Physical activity profiles were assessed via microtechnology (GPS and accelerometer) from 40 professional AF players from the same team during 15 Australian Football League games. Skill performance measure and player rank scores (Champion Data© Rank) were provided by a commercial statistical provider. The physical performance variables, skill involvements and individual player performance scores were expressed relative to playing time for each quarter. A stepwise multiple regression was used to examine the contribution of physical activity and skill involvements to coaches' perception of performance and player rank in AF. Results: Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that 42.2% of the variance in coaches' perception of a player's performance could be explained by the skill performance characteristics (player rank/min, effective kicks/min, pressure points/min, handballs/min and running bounces/min) with a small contribution from physical activity measures (accelerations/min) [Adjusted R2 =0.422; F 6,282=36.054; p<0.001]. Multiple regression also revealed that 66.4% of the adjusted variance in player rank could be explained by total disposals/min, effective kicks/min, pressure points/min, kick clangers/min, marks/min, speed (m.min-1) and peak speed) [Adjusted R2 =0.664; F 7,281=82.289; p <0.001]. Increased physical activity throughout a match (speed [m·min-1] ß-0.097 and peak speed ß-0.116) negatively impact player rank in AF. Conclusions: Skill performance rather than increased physical activity is more important to coaches' perception of performance and player rank in professional AF
Suñer, S, Bladen, CL, Gowland, N, Tipper, JL & Emami, N 2014, 'Investigation of wear and wear particles from a UHMWPE/multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposite for total joint replacements', Wear, vol. 317, no. 1-2, pp. 163-169.
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Sutton, SK, Koach, J, Tan, O, Liu, B, Carter, DR, Wilmott, JS, Yosufi, B, Haydu, LE, Mann, GJ, Thompson, JF, Long, GV, Liu, T, McArthur, G, Zhang, XD, Scolyer, RA, Cheung, BB & Marshall, GM 2014, 'TRIM16 inhibits proliferation and migration through regulation of interferon beta 1 in melanoma cells', Oncotarget, vol. 5, no. 20, pp. 10127-10139.
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High basal or induced expression of the tripartite motif protein, TRIM16, leads to reduce cell growth and migration of neuroblastoma and skin squamous cell carcinoma cells. However, the role of TRIM16 in melanoma is currently unknown. TRIM16 protein levels were markedly reduced in human melanoma cell lines, compared with normal human epidermal melanocytes due to both DNA methylation and reduced protein stability. TRIM16 knockdown strongly increased cell migration in normal human epidermal melanocytes, while TRIM16 overexpression reduced cell migration and proliferation of melanoma cells in an interferon beta 1 (IFNβ1)-dependent manner. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed TRIM16 directly bound the IFNβ1 gene promoter. Low level TRIM16 expression in 91 melanoma patient samples, strongly correlated with lymph node metastasis, and, predicted poor patient prognosis in a separate cohort of 170 melanoma patients with lymph node metastasis. The BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib, increased TRIM16 protein levels in melanoma cells in vitro, and induced growth arrest in BRAF-mutant melanoma cells in a TRIM16-dependent manner. High levels of TRIM16 in melanoma tissues from patients treated with Vemurafenib correlated with clinical response. Our data, for the first time, demonstrates TRIM16 is a marker of cell migration and metastasis, and a novel treatment target in melanoma.
Tafavogh, S, Catchpoole, DR & Kennedy, PJ 2014, 'Cellular quantitative analysis of neuroblastoma tumor and splitting overlapping cells', BMC BIOINFORMATICS, vol. 15, no. 1.
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© 2014 Tafavogh et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. Background: Neuroblastoma Tumor (NT) is one of the most aggressive types of infant cancer. Essential to accurate diagnosis and prognosis is cellular quantitative analysis of the tumor. Counting enormous numbers of cells under an optical microscope is error-prone. There is therefore an urgent demand from pathologists for robust and automated cell counting systems. However, the main challenge in developing these systems is the inability of them to distinguish between overlapping cells and single cells, and to split the overlapping cells. We address this challenge in two stages by: 1) distinguishing overlapping cells from single cells using the morphological differences between them such as area, uniformity of diameters and cell concavity; and 2) splitting overlapping cells into single cells. We propose a novel approach by using the dominant concave regions of cells as markers to identify the overlap region. We then find the initial splitting points at the critical points of the concave regions by decomposing the concave regions into their components such as arcs, chords and edges, and the distance between the components is analyzed using the developed seed growing technique. Lastly, a shortest path determination approach is developed to determine the optimum splitting route between two candidate initial splitting points.Results: We compare the cell counting results of our system with those of a pathologist as the ground-truth. We also compare the system with three state-of-the-art methods, and the results of statistical tests show a significant improvement in the performance of our system compared to state-of-the-art methods. The F-measure obtained by our system is 88.70%. To evaluate the generalizability of our algorithm, we apply it to images of follicular lymphoma, which has similar histological regions to NT. Of the algorithms tested, our algorithm obtains the highest F-measure of 92.79%.Conclusion:...
Tran, B, Nguyen, ND, Center, JR, Eisman, JA & Nguyen, TV 2014, 'Association between fat‐mass‐and‐obesity‐associated (FTO) gene and hip fracture susceptibility', Clinical Endocrinology, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 210-217.
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SummaryObjectiveCommon variants in the fat‐mass‐and‐obesity‐associated (FTO) gene are related to body mass index (BMI), which is a predictor of hip fracture risk. This study sought to examine the association between variants in the FTO gene and hip fracture risk.Design and participantsThis is a prospective study including 934 postmenopausal women aged 60 years and above living in Dubbo, Australia (Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study), followed up between 1989 and 2007.MeasurementsSix single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1421085, rs1558902, rs1121980, rs17817449, rs9939609 and rs9930506) of the FTO gene were genotyped using Taqman assay. Bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femoral neck was measured by DXA (GE‐Lunar) at baseline. Incidence of hip fractures during the follow‐up was ascertained by reviewing X‐ray reports. We used Cox's models to estimate the association between the genetic variants and hip fracture risk. We also utilized Bayes factor to evaluate the association.ResultsOne hundred and two women (11%) had sustained a hip fracture. The incidence of hip fracture was greater in women homozygous for the minor allele of all SNP
Tuckett, A, Parker, D, Clifton, K, Glaetzer, K, Greeve, K, Israel, F, Jenkin, P, Prior, T, Reymond, E & Walker, H 2014, 'What general practitioners said about the palliative care case conference in residential aged care: An Australian perspective. Part 1', Progress in Palliative Care, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 61-68.
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Uchida, MC, Teixeira, LFM, Godoi, VJ, Marchetti, PH, Conte, M, Coutts, AJ & Bacurau, RFP 2014, 'Does The Timing of Measurement Alter Session-RPE in Boxers?', JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCE AND MEDICINE, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 59-65.
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The purpose of this study was to compare the influence of measuring the overall session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) at 10 vs. 30 minutes following exercise. Eight boxers completed three different standardized training sessions of different intensities (easy, moderate and hard) in a matchedpairs, randomized research design. Exercise intensity was assessed during each bout by measuring heart rate, blood lactate concentration and session-RPE. To assess the effect of measurement timing on session-RPE, RPE data were collected either 10 or 30 minutes post-exercise. There was no significant effect of measurement time on session-RPE values following easy (10 minutes: session-RPE = 1.3 ± 1.0 Arbitrary Unit (AU), %Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) = 49.5 ± 11.1, and ΔBlood lactate = -2.3 ± 16.3%; 30 minutes: session-RPE = 1.7 ± 1.0 AU, %HRR = 51.3 ± 10.8, and ΔBlood lactate = 0.7 ± 25.2%), moderate (10 minutes: session-RPE = 2.7 ± 1.6 AU, %HRR = 67.2 ± 10.8, and ΔBlood lactate = 2.2 ± 19%; 30 minutes: session-RPE = 2.5 ± 0.9 AU, %HRR = 67.2 ± 5.9, and ΔBlood lactate = 24.5 ± 17.1%) and hard (10 minutes: session-RPE = 5.7 ± 1.0 AU, %HRR = 88.1 ± 6.3, and ΔBlood lactate = 146.3 ± 87.9%; 30 minutes: session-RPE = 5.8 ± 1.9 AU, %HRR = 83.3 ± 8.0, and ΔBlood lactate = 91.6 ± 39%) sessions. In conclusion, our findings suggest that session-RPE can be used in boxing training routines across a range of intensities and accurate measurements can be determined as early as 10 minutes after exercise. © Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.
Wallace, LK, Slattery, KM & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'A comparison of methods for quantifying training load: relationships between modelled and actual training responses', EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY, vol. 114, no. 1, pp. 11-20.
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Purpose To assess the validity of methods for quantifying training load, fitness and fatigue in endurance athletes using a mathematical model. Methods Seven trained runners ( V? O2max: 51.7 ± 4.5 mL kg-1 min-1, age: 38.6 ± 9.4 years, mean ± SD) completed 15 weeks of endurance running training. Training sessions were assessed using a heart rate (HR), running pace and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Training dose was calculated using the session-RPE method, Banisters TRIMP and the running training stress score (rTSS). Weekly running performance (1,500-m time trial), fitness (submaximal HR, resting HR) and fatigue [profile of mood states, heart rate variability (HRV)] were measured. A mathematical model was applied to the training data from each runner to provide individual estimates of performance, fitness and fatigue. Correlations assessed the relationships between the modelled and actual weekly performance, fitness and fatigue measures within each runner.
Wallace, LK, Slattery, KM, Impellizzeri, FM & Coutts, AJ 2014, 'ESTABLISHING THE CRITERION VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF COMMON METHODS FOR QUANTIFYING TRAINING LOAD', JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH, vol. 28, no. 8, pp. 2330-2337.
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The purpose of this investigation was to compare the criterion validity and test-retest reliability of common methods for quantifying training load. Ten (5 men and 5 women) recreational athletes (mean ± SD, V[Combining Dot Above]O2max: 37.0 ± 4.3 ml·kg·min; age: 23.8 ± 8.4 years) completed 18 randomly assigned steady state (SS) and interval (INT) training sessions during a 6-week period. Steady-state sessions were 18 minutes in duration and were performed at 35, 50, and 65% of maximum work capacity (Wmax). Interval sessions were performed at 50, 60, and 70% of Wmax with a work to rest ratio of 1:1 and matched for total work with the 50% SS session. Oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2) and heart rate (HR) were measured throughout all sessions, whereas blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) measures were taken every 6 minutes during sessions. Session-RPE (sRPE) was collected after each exercise bout. All individual correlations between V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and external work (r = 0.88-0.97), HR (r = 0.65-0.90), and RPE-based methods (r = 0.55-0.89) were statistically significant. External work correlated best with the total V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and was significantly different from RPE-based methods. A poor level of test-retest reliability was shown for Banister's TRIMP (15.6% coefficient of variation [CV]), Lucia's TRIMP (10.7% CV), and sRPE (28.1% CV). Good reliability was shown for HR (3.9% CV) and a moderate level for RPE 6-20 (8.5% CV) as a measure of exercise intensity. These results suggest external work to be the most valid and reliable method for quantifying training load. Poor levels of reliability were reported for each of the HR-based TRIMP methods and RPE-based methods.
Wang, J, Xu, M, He, X, Lu, H & Hoang, D 2014, 'A hybrid domain enhanced framework for video retargeting with spatial–temporal importance and 3D grid optimization', Signal Processing, vol. 94, pp. 33-47.
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Recently, a ubiquitous video access is highly demanded for online video applications. One big challenge is that video service needs to adapt different device capabilities. Pervasive multimedia devices require an accurate and user comfort video retargeting. Letting users see their preferred content accurately directly affects their comforts. User preferences on video contents are different in various video domains. In this paper, we present a hybrid framework of video retargeting with a domain enhanced spatial-temporal grid optimisation. First, we parse videos from low-level features to high-level visual concepts, combining with visual attention for an accurate importance description. Second, a semantic importance map is built up representing the spatial importance and temporal continuity, which is incorporated with a 3D rectilinear grid scaleplate to map frames to a target display, thereby keeping the aspect ratio of semantically salient objects as well as the perceptual coherency. Extensive evaluations are made on five typical video genres, i.e. sports, advertisements, lecture, news and surveillance. The comparison with the state-of-the-art approaches on both images and videos have demonstrated the advantages of the proposed approach.
Warkiani, ME, Guan, G, Luan, KB, Lee, WC, Bhagat, AAS, Kant Chaudhuri, P, Tan, DS-W, Lim, WT, Lee, SC, Chen, PCY, Lim, CT & Han, J 2014, 'Slanted spiral microfluidics for the ultra-fast, label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells', Lab Chip, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 128-137.
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Warkiani, ME, Khoo, BL, Tan, DS-W, Bhagat, AAS, Lim, W-T, Yap, YS, Lee, SC, Soo, RA, Han, J & Lim, CT 2014, 'An ultra-high-throughput spiral microfluidic biochip for the enrichment of circulating tumor cells', The Analyst, vol. 139, no. 13, pp. 3245-3255.
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We demonstrate the high-throughput and high-resolution separation of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood using a multiplexed spiral microfluidic device.
Xu, C, Liu, Y, Sun, Q, Li, J & He, Y 2014, 'Polyline‐sourced Geodesic Voronoi Diagrams on Triangle Meshes', Computer Graphics Forum, vol. 33, no. 7, pp. 161-170.
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AbstractThis paper studies the Voronoi diagrams on 2‐manifold meshes based on geodesic metric (a.k.a. geodesic Voronoi diagrams or GVDs), which have polyline generators. We show that our general setting leads to situations more complicated than conventional 2D Euclidean Voronoi diagrams as well as point‐source based GVDs, since a typical bisector contains line segments, hyperbolic segments and parabolic segments. To tackle this challenge, we introduce a new concept, called local Voronoi diagram (LVD), which is a combination of additively weighted Voronoi diagram and line‐segment Voronoi diagram on a mesh triangle. We show that when restricting on a single mesh triangle, the GVD is a subset of the LVD and only two types of mesh triangles can contain GVD edges. Based on these results, we propose an efficient algorithm for constructing the GVD with polyline generators. Our algorithm runs in O(nNlogN) time and takes O(nN) space on an n‐face mesh with m generators, where N = max{m, n}. Computational results on real‐world models demonstrate the efficiency of our algorithm.
Yagoub, D, Wilkins, MR, Lay, AJ, Kaczorowski, DC, Hatoum, D, Bajan, S, Hutvagner, G, Lai, JH, Wu, W, Martiniello-Wilks, R, Xia, P & McGowan, EM 2014, 'Sphingosine Kinase 1 Isoform-Specific Interactions in Breast Cancer', MOLECULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY, vol. 28, no. 11, pp. 1899-1915.
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© 2014 by the Endocrine Society. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1) is a signaling enzyme that catalyzes the formation of sphingosine-1-phosphate. Overexpression of SK1 is causally associated with breast cancer progression and resistance to therapy. SK1 inhibitors are currently being investigated as promising breast cancer therapies. Two major transcriptional isoforms, SK143kDa and SK151kDa, have been identified; however, the 51kDa variant is predominant in breast cancer cells. No studies have investigated the protein-protein interactions of the 51kDa isoform and whether the two SK1 isoforms differ significantly in their interactions. Seeking an understanding of the regulation and role of SK1, we used a triple-labeling stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture-based approach to identify SK1-interacting proteins common and unique to both isoforms. Of approximately 850 quantified proteins in SK1 immunopre-cipitates, a high-confidence list of 30 protein interactions with each SK1 isoform was generated via a meta-analysis of multiple experimental replicates. Many of the novel identified SK1 interaction partners such assupervillin, drebrin, and the myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate-related protein supported and highlighted previously implicated roles of SK1 in breast cancer cell migration, adhesion, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Of these interactions, several were found to be exclusive to the 43kDa isoform of SK1, including the protein phosphatase 2A, a previously identified SK1-interacting protein. Other proteins such as allograft inflammatory factor 1-like protein, the latent-transforming growth factor β-binding protein, and dipeptidyl peptidase 2 were found to associate exclusively with the 51kDa isoform of SK1. In this report, we have identified common and isoform-specificSK1-interacting partners that provide insight into the molecular mechanisms that drive SK1-mediated oncogenicity.
Yang, S, Nguyen, ND, Center, JR, Eisman, JA & Nguyen, TV 2014, 'Association between hypertension and fragility fracture: a longitudinal study', Osteoporosis International, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 97-103.
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Hypertension is an independent risk factor for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture in postmenopausal women.Although hypertension has been suggested to be associated with increased fracture risk, it is not clear whether the association is independent of bone mineral density (BMD). The present study sought to examine the interrelationships between hypertension, BMD, and fracture risk.The study included 1,032 men and 1,701 women aged 50 years and older who were participants in the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study. BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (GE-LUNAR Corp., Madison, WI, USA). The presence of hypertension was ascertained by direct interview and verification through clinical history. The incidence of fragility fractures was ascertained by X-ray report during the follow-up period (1989-2008). The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the association between hypertension and fracture risk.Women with hypertension had lower BMD at the femoral neck (0.79 versus 0.82 g/cm(2), P = 0.02) than those without the disease. After adjusting for BMD and covariates, hypertension was an independent risk factor for fragility fracture [hazard ratio (HR), 1.49; 95% CI, 1.13-1.96]. In men, hypertension was associated with higher femoral neck BMD (0.94 versus 0.92 g/cm(2), P = 0.02), but the association between hypertension and fracture risk did not reach statistical significance.Hypertension is associated with increased fracture risk in women, and the association is independent of BMD.
Yee, J, Davis, GM, Beith, JM, Wilcken, N, Currow, D, Emery, J, Phillips, J, Martin, A, Hui, R, Harrison, M, Segelov, E & Kilbreath, SL 2014, 'Physical activity and fitness in women with metastatic breast cancer', JOURNAL OF CANCER SURVIVORSHIP, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 647-656.
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PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore differences in physical activity and fitness between women with metastatic breast cancer compared to healthy controls and factors associated with their physical activity levels. METHODS: Seventy-one women with metastatic breast cancer, aged (mean (SD)) 57.7 (9.5) and 2.9 (3.1) years after the onset of metastatic disease, and 71 healthy controls aged 55.0 (9.4) years participated. Of those with metastatic disease, 27% had bone-only metastases, 35% visceral-only metastases and 38% bone and visceral metastases. Patient-reported outcomes and physical measures of muscle strength and aerobic fitness assessments were obtained. Participants wore a SenseWear® physical activity monitor over 7 days, and the average steps/day and the time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity were determined. RESULTS: Women with metastases were significantly (i) less aerobically fit than the control group (25.3 (5.4) vs. 31.9 (6.1) mL • kg(-1) • min(-1); P < 0.001); (ii) weaker (e.g. lower limb strength for the metastatic and control groups was 53.5 (23.7) vs. 76.0 (27.4) kg, respectively; P < 0.001); (iii) less active, with the metastatic group attaining only 56% of the mean daily step counts of the healthy women; and (iv) more symptomatic, reporting higher levels of fatigue and dyspnoea (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Women living in the community with metastatic breast cancer possessed lower aerobic fitness, reduced muscular strength and less daily physical activity compared to healthy counterparts. They also experienced poorer functioning and higher symptom burden. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Women living with metastatic breast cancer may benefit from a physical activity programme to address their physical impairments.
Yepuri, NR, Holt, SA, Moraes, G, Holden, PJ, Hossain, KR, Valenzuela, SM, James, M & Darwish, TA 2014, 'Stereoselective synthesis of perdeuterated phytanic acid, its phospholipid derivatives and their formation into lipid model membranes for neutron reflectivity studies', Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, vol. 183, pp. 22-33.
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Yoshizaki, K, Hu, L, Nguyen, T, Sakai, K, He, B, Fong, C, Yamada, Y, Bikle, DD & Oda, Y 2014, 'Ablation of Coactivator Med1 Switches the Cell Fate of Dental Epithelia to That Generating Hair', PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. e99991-e99991.
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Cell fates are determined by specific transcriptional programs. Here we provide evidence that the transcriptional coactivator, Mediator 1 (Med1), is essential for the cell fate determination of ectodermal epithelia. Conditional deletion of Med1 in vivo converted dental epithelia into epidermal epithelia, causing defects in enamel organ development while promoting hair formation in the incisors. We identified multiple processes by which hairs are generated in Med1 deficient incisors: 1) dental epithelial stem cells lacking Med 1 fail to commit to the dental lineage, 2) Sox2-expressing stem cells extend into the differentiation zone and remain multi-potent due to reduced Notch1 signaling, and 3) epidermal fate is induced by calcium as demonstrated in dental epithelial cell cultures. These results demonstrate that Med1 is a master regulator in adult stem cells to govern epithelial cell fate.
Yuwono, M, Moulton, BD & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'Data Clustering Using Variants of Rapid Centroid Estimation', IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 366-377.
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Prior work suggests that Particle Swarm Clustering (PSC) can be a powerful tool for solving clustering problems. This paper reviews parts of the PSC algorithm, and shows how and why a new class of algorithm is proposed in an attempt to improve on the ef?ciency and repeatability of PSC. This new implementation is referred to as Rapid Centroid Estimation (RCE). RCE simpli?es the update rules of PSC, and greatly reduces computational complexity by enhancing the ef?ciency of the particle trajectories. On benchmark evaluations with an arti?cial dataset that has 80 dimensions and a volume of 5000, the RCE variants have iteration times of less than 0.1 seconds, which compares to iteration times of 2 seconds for PSC and modi?ed PSC (mPSC). On UC Irvine (UCI) machine learning benchmark datasets, the RCE variants are much faster than PSC and mPSC, and produce clusters with higher purity and greatly improved optimization speeds. For example, the RCE variants are more than 100 times faster than PSC and mPSC on the UCI breast cancer dataset. It can be concluded that the RCE variants are leaner and faster than PSC and mPSC, and that the new optimization strategies also improve clustering quality and repeatability.
Yuwono, M, Su, SW, Guo, Y, Moulton, BD & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'Unsupervised nonparametric method for gait analysis using a waist-worn inertial sensor', APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING, vol. 14, no. A, pp. 72-80.
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This paper describes a nonparametric approach for analyzing gait and identifying bilateral heel-strike events in data from an inertial measurement unit worn on the waist. The approach automatically adapts to variations in gait of the subjects by including a classifier that continuously evolves as it "learns" aspects of each individuals gait profile. The novel data-driven approach is shown to be capable of adapting to different gait profiles without any need for supervision. The approach has several stages. First, cadence episode is detected using Hidden Markov Model. Second, discrete wavelet transforms are applied to extract peak features from accelerometers and gyroscopes. Third, the feature dimensionality is reduced using principal component analysis. Fourth, Rapid Centroid Estimation (RCE) is used to cluster the peaks into 3 classes: (a) left heel-strike, (b) right heel-strike, and (c) artifacts that belongs to neither (a) nor (b). Finally, a Bayes filter is used, which takes into account prior detections, model predictions, and step timings at time segments of interest. Experimental results involving 15 participants suggest that the system is capable of detecting bilateral heel-strikes with greater than 97% accuracy.
Zeng, Q, Haghi, M, Rimmer, J, Black, J, Shi, J, Oliver, B & Ge, Q 2014, 'THE TRANSPORT OF SALBUTAMOL SULFATE THROUGH CALU-3 AND DIFFERENTIATED HUMAN BRONCHIAL EPITHELIAL CELL', RESPIROLOGY, vol. 19, pp. 63-63.
Zhang, Y, Haddad, A, Su, SW, Celler, BG, Coutts, AJ, Duffield, R, Donges, CE & Nguyen, HT 2014, 'An equivalent circuit model for onset and offset exercise response', BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING ONLINE, vol. 13.
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Zhao, L, Hoi, SCH, Li, Z, Wong, L, Nguyen, H & Li, J 2014, 'Coupling Graphs, Efficient Algorithms and B-Cell Epitope Prediction', IEEE-ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 7-16.
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Coupling graphs are newly introduced in this paper to meet many application needs particularly in the field of bioinformatics. A coupling graph is a two-layer graph complex, in which each node from one layer of the graph complex has at least one connection with the nodes in the other layer, and vice versa. The coupling graph model is sufficiently powerful to capture strong and inherent associations between subgraph pairs in complicated applications. The focus of this paper is on mining algorithms of frequent coupling subgraphs and bioinformatics application. Although existing frequent subgraph mining algorithms are competent to identify frequent subgraphs from a graph database, they perform poorly on frequent coupling subgraph mining because they generate many irrelevant subgraphs. We propose a novel graph transformation technique to transform a coupling graph into a generic graph. Based on the transformed coupling graphs, existing graph mining methods are then utilized to discover frequent coupling subgraphs. We prove that the transformation is precise and complete and that the restoration is reversible. Experiments carried out on a database containing 10,511 coupling graphs show that our proposed algorithm reduces the mining time very much in comparison with the existing subgraph mining algorithms. Moreover, we demonstrate the usefulness of frequent coupling subgraphs by applying our algorithm to make accurate predictions of epitopes in antibody-antigen binding
Zhou, J, Guo, A, Celler, B & Su, S 2014, 'Fault detection and identification spanning multiple processes by integrating PCA with neural network', Applied Soft Computing, vol. 14, no. A, pp. 4-11.
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This paper proposes an effective fault detection and identification method for systems which perform in multiple processes. One such type of system investigated in this paper is COSMED K4b2. K4b2 is a standard portable electrical device designed to test pulmonary functions in various applications, such as athlete training, sports medicine and health monitoring. However, its actual sensor outputs and received data may be disturbed by Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), body artifacts, and device malfunctions/faults, which might cause misinterpretations of activities or statuses to people being monitored. Although some research is reported to detect faults in specific steady state, normal approach may yield false alarms in multi-processes applications. In this paper, a novel and comprehensive method, which merges statistical analysis and intelligent computational model, is proposed to detect and identify faults of K4b2 during exercise monitoring. Firstly the principal component analysis (PCA) is utilized to acquire main features of measured data and then K-means is combined to cluster various processes for abnormalities detection. When faults are detected, a back propagation (BP) neural network is constructed to identify and isolate faults. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model method is finally verified with experimental data.
Zhou, J, Guo, A, Xu, J & Su, S 2014, 'An optimal fuzzy control medium access in wireless body area networks', Neurocomputing, vol. 142, pp. 107-114.
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Wireless body area network (WBAN) collects significant signals of human body or environment information for health monitoring or professional services. But normal medium access protocols can hardly make a balance and ensure enough reliability of a network because there are specific features and service quality in WBAN applications. Contention access or fixed allocation of bandwidth cannot meet all nodes? requirements and may cause collisions and delay. Especially in emergency medical situations, some data must be transmitted immediately for accurate diagnosis and decision. The dropping of critical messages could possibly create life threatening results. In order to improve the reliability and efficiency of data transmission in WBAN, this paper proposes a fuzzy control medium access (FCMA) mechanism based on input parameters for performance gains. It controls the contention window in contention access period (CAP) and slots allocation in contention free period (CFP) according to nodes? status. Through simulation analysis, the improved performance of throughput, latency, and packets breakdown is demonstrated by efficient usage of bandwidth and avoidance of collision.
Zhou, Y, Tang, M, Pan, W, Li, J, Wang, W, Shao, J, Wu, L, Li, J, Yang, Q & Yan, B 2014, 'Bird Flu Outbreak Prediction via Satellite Tracking', IEEE Intelligent Systems, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 10-17.
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© 2001-2011 IEEE. Advanced satellite tracking technologies have collected huge amounts of wild bird migration data. Biologists use these data to understand dynamic migration patterns, study correlations between habitats, and predict global spreading trends of avian influenza. The research discussed here transforms the biological problem into a machine learning problem by converting wild bird migratory paths into graphs. H5N1 outbreak prediction is achieved by discovering weighted closed cliques from the graphs using the mining algorithm High-wEight cLosed cliquE miNing (HELEN). The learning algorithm HELEN-p then predicts potential H5N1 outbreaks at habitats. This prediction method is more accurate than traditional methods used on a migration dataset obtained through a real satellite bird-tracking system. Empirical analysis shows that H5N1 spreads in a manner of high-weight closed cliques and frequent cliques.
Zliobaite, I & Gabrys, B 2014, 'Adaptive Preprocessing for Streaming Data', IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 309-321.
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Al-Dmour, H, Al-Ani, A & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'An efficient steganography method for hiding patient confidential information.', EMBC, International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE, Chicago, USA, pp. 222-225.
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© 2014 IEEE. This paper deals with the important issue of security and confidentiality of patient information when exchanging or storing medical images. Steganography has recently been viewed as an alternative or complement to cryptography, as existing cryptographic systems are not perfect due to their vulnerability to certain types of attack. We propose in this paper a new steganography algorithm for hiding patient confidential information. It utilizes Pixel Value Differencing (PVD) to identify contrast regions in the image and a Hamming code that embeds 3 secret message bits into 4 bits of the cover image. In order to preserve the content of the region of interest (ROI), the embedding is only performed using the Region of Non-Interest (RONI).
Al-Jubouri, B & Gabrys, B 1970, 'Multicriteria approaches for predictive model generation: A comparative experimental study', 2014 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), 2014 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), IEEE, Orlando, FL, pp. 64-71.
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Andonovski, B, Miro, JV, Poon, J & Black, R 1970, 'An automated mechanism to characterize wheelchair user performance', 5th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 2014 5th IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), IEEE, Sau Paulo, Brazil, pp. 444-449.
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This paper proposes a mechanism to derive quantitative descriptions of wheelchair usage as a tool to aid Occupational Therapist with their performance assesment of mobility platform users. This is accomplished by analysing data computed from a standalone sensor package fitted on an wheelchair platform. This work builds upon previous propositions where parameters that could assist in the assessment were recommended to the authors by a qualified occupational therapist (OT). In the current scheme however the task-specific parameters that may provide the most relevant user information for the assessment are automatically revealed through a machine learning approach. Data mining techniques are used to reveal the most informative parameters, and results from three typical classifiers are presented based on learnings from manual labelling of the training data. Trials conducted by healthy volunteers gave classifications with an 81% success rate using a Random Forest classifier, a promising outcome that sets the scene for a potential clinical trial with a larger user pool.
Ardi Handojoseno, AM, Shine, JM, Gilat, M, Nguyen, TN, Tran, Y, Lewis, SJG & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'Prediction of freezing of gait using analysis of brain effective connectivity', 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), IEEE, Chicago, Illinois, USA, pp. 4119-4122.
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© 2014 IEEE. Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), in which patients experience sudden difficulties in starting or continuing locomotion. It is described by patients as the sensation that their feet are suddenly glued to the ground. This, disturbs their balance, and hence often leads to falls. In this study, directed transfer function (DTF) and partial directed coherence (PDC) were used to calculate the effective connectivity of neural networks, as the input features for systems that can detect FOG based on a Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network, as well as means for assessing the causal relationships in neurophysiological neural networks during FOG episodes. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy obtained in subject dependent analysis were 82%, 77%, and 78%, respectively. This is a significant improvement compared to previously used methods for detecting FOG, bringing this detection system one step closer to a final version that can be used by the patients to improve their symptoms.
Argha, A, Li, L, Su, SW & Nguyen, H 1970, 'A new LMI-based robust Sliding Mode Control for the uncertain discrete-time systems', 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2014 IEEE 53rd Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), IEEE, Los Angeles - USA, pp. 4747-4752.
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© 2014 IEEE. In this paper, a new approach for designing a robust Discrete-time Sliding Mode Control (DSMC) is proposed for the uncertain discrete-time systems. To this end, an LMI approach is used to develop a new framework to design the linear sliding functions which are linear to the state. The LMI approach proposed in this paper is designed to deal with uncertain systems (matched and unmatched). It is wellknown that the finite sampling rate for the discrete-time systems leads to this fact that state move within a bound around the predetermined sliding surface referred to as quasi-sliding mode band. In this paper, this matter will be discussed in a new point of view and an innovative method will be used to obtain the ultimate bound on the system state.
Argha, A, Li, L, Su, SW & Nguyen, H 1970, 'Controllability analysis of the first FM model of 2D systems: A row (column) process', 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2014 IEEE 53rd Annual Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), IEEE, Los Angeles - USA, pp. 2414-2419.
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© 2014 IEEE. Dealing with 1D form of 2D systems is an alternative strategy to reduce the intrinsic complexity of 2D systems and their applications. To obtain the 1D form of 2D systems, a row (column) process is used in this paper. The controllability analysis of the obtained 1D form and its relation to the local controllability of the local states in the original 2D system is the subject of this paper. Moreover, in this paper, a new notion of controllability named directional controllability is defined and studied for the underlying 2D systems.
Argha, A, Li, L, Su, SW & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'Decentralized sliding mode control for uncertain discrete-time large-scale systems: An LMI approach.', AuCC, Australian Control Conference 2014, IEEE, Canberra Australia, pp. 251-256.
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© 2014 Engineers Australia. In this paper, a decentralized discrete-time sliding mode control is designed for the uncertain large-scale systems. Firstly, a decentralized sliding surface is developed for the large-scale discrete-time systems including uncertainty and exogenous disturbance. Then, a decentralized sliding mode controller is designed for the underlying systems. An LMI approach is deployed to develop a new framework to design the decentralized sliding mode controller which can stabilize the underlying uncertain large-scale system. The ultimate boundedness of the state and sliding function of the underlying closed-loop system is studied accordingly. Illustrative examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed controllers.
Argha, A, Su, SW, Lee, S, Nguyen, H, Celler, BG & IEEE 1970, 'On Heart Rate Regulation in Cycle-Ergometer Exercise', 2014 36TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY (EMBC), International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE, Chicago USA, pp. 3390-3393.
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In this paper, we have focused on the issue of
regulating the human heart rate (HR) to a predefined reference
trajectory, especially for cycle-ergometer exercise used for
training or rehabilitation. As measuring HR is relatively easy
compared to exercise intensity, it has been used in the wide
range of training programs. The aim of this paper is to develop
a non-model-based control strategy using proportional, integral
and derivative (PID) controller/relay controller to regulate the
HR to track a desired trajectory. In the case of using PID
controller, the controller output signal is interpreted as a voice
or auditory command, referred to as biofeedback, which can
be heard by the exercising subject as a part of the controlloop.
Alternatively, the relay controller output signals can be
converted to some special words which can be recognised by the
exerciser. However, in both cases, to effectively communicate
to the user a change in exercise intensity, the timing of this
feedback signal relative to the positions of the pedals becomes
quite critical. A feedback signal delivered when the pedals
are not in a suitable position to efficiently exert force may
be ineffective and may lead to a cognitive disengagement of the
user form the feedback controller. In this paper we examine the
need and the consequence of synchronising the delivery of the
feedback signal with an optimal and user specific placement of
the pedal.
Banville, N, Burgess, J, Jaffar, J, Richeldi, L, Cerri, S, Black, J & Oliver, B 1970, 'IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL POTENTIAL CANDIDATE BIOMARKERS IN LYMPHANGIOLEIOMYOMATOSIS (LAM)', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 90-90.
Banville, NJ, Burgess, JK, Jaffar, J, Richeldi, L, Cerri, S, Black, JL & Oliver, BG 1970, 'Identification Of Potential Candidate Biomarkers In Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Using Itraq Proteomic Technology', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, AMER THORACIC SOC.
Beck, D, Palu, C, Shah, A, Herold, T, Olivier, J, Valk, PJM, Delwel, R, Bohlander, SK, Wong, JW & Pimanda, JE 1970, 'Integrative Analysis of Lincrna Expression and Clinical Annotations Reveals a Signature of 17 Genes with Prognostic Significance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)', BLOOD, 56th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology, AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY, San Francisco, CA.
Budka, M, Eastwood, M, Gabrys, B, Kadlec, P, Salvador, MM, Schwan, S, Tsakonas, A & Zliobaite, I 1970, 'Advances in Intelligent Data Analysis XIII', ADVANCES IN INTELLIGENT DATA ANALYSIS XIII, 13th International Symposium on Intelligent Data Analysis (IDA), Springer International Publishing, Fac Club, Leuven, BELGIUM, pp. 49-60.
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Büttner, TFS, Hudson, DD, Kabakova, IV & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Phase-locked, multiwavelength, distributed feedback brillouin laser', Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
Büttner, TFS, Kabakova V., IV, Hudson D., DD, Pant, R, Poulton G., CG, Judge C., AC & Eggleton J., BJ 1970, 'Phase-locking in multi-frequency brillouin oscillator via four-wave mixing', Optics InfoBase Conference Papers.
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We report the experimental demonstration and numerical modeling of phase-locking cascaded Stokes waves generated by Stimulated Brillouin Scattering via Kerr nonlinear four-wave mixing in a short, chalcogenide fiber resonator, producing phase-locked trains of picosecond pulses. © 2014 OSA.
Büttner, TFS, Kabakova, IV, Hudson, DD, Pant, R, Poulton, CG, Judge, AC & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Phase-locking in multi-frequency brillouin oscillator via four-wave mixing', Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe - Technical Digest, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) - Laser Science to Photonic Applications, IEEE, San Jose, CA, USA.
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We report the experimental demonstration and numerical modeling of phase-locking cascaded Stokes waves generated by Stimulated Brillouin Scattering via Kerr nonlinear four-wave mixing in a short, chalcogenide fiber resonator, producing phase-locked trains of picosecond pulses.
Büttner, TFS, Kabakova, IV, Hudson, DD, Pant, R, Poulton, CG, Judge, AC & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Phase-Locking in Multi-Frequency Brillouin Oscillator via Four-Wave Mixing', CLEO: 2014, CLEO: QELS_Fundamental Science, OSA.
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Büttner, TFS, Kabakova, IV, Merklein, M, Hudson, DD, Choi, D-Y, Luther-Davies, B, Madden, SJ & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Phase-locked Cascaded Stimulated Brillouin Scattering and Pulse Train Generation on a Photonic Chip', Advanced Photonics, Nonlinear Photonics, OSA.
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We experimentally demonstrate the generation of phase-locked Brillouin-frequency combs and gigahertz repetition rate pulse trains via the interplay of stimulated Brillouin scattering and Kerr-nonlinear four-wave mixing on a chalcogenide chip.
Büttner, TFS, Kabakova, IV, Merklein, M, Hudson, DD, Choi, DY, Luther-Davies, B, Madden, SJ & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Phase-locked cascaded stimulated Brillouin scattering and pulse train generation on a photonic chip', Nonlinear Photonics, NP 2014.
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We experimentally demonstrate the generation of phase-locked Brillouin-frequency combs and gigahertz repetition rate pulse trains via the interplay of stimulated Brillouin scattering and Kerr-nonlinear four-wave mixing on a chalcogenide chip.
Chai, R, Tran, Y, Craig, A, Ling, SH, Nguyen, HT & IEEE 1970, 'Enhancing Accuracy of Mental Fatigue Classification using Advanced Computational Intelligence in an Electroencephalography System', 2014 36TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY (EMBC), International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE, Chicago, IL, USA, pp. 1338-1341.
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© 2014 IEEE. A system using electroencephalography (EEG) signals could enhance the detection of mental fatigue while driving a vehicle. This paper examines the classification between fatigue and alert states using an autoregressive (AR) model-based power spectral density (PSD) as the features extraction method and fuzzy particle swarm optimization with cross mutated of artificial neural network (FPSOCM-ANN) as the classification method. Using 32-EEG channels, results indicated an improved overall specificity from 76.99% to 82.02%, an improved sensitivity from 74.92 to 78.99% and an improved accuracy from 75.95% to 80.51% when compared to previous studies. The classification using fewer EEG channels, with eleven frontal sites resulted in 77.52% for specificity, 73.78% for sensitivity and 75.65% accuracy being achieved. For ergonomic reasons, the configuration with fewer EEG channels will enhance capacity to monitor fatigue as there is less set-up time required.
Cranfield, CG, Carne, S, Alkhamici, H, Duckworth, P, Lacey, E, Martinac, B & Cornell, B 1970, 'Screening the Insertion of Families of Bioactive Microbial Metabolites into Tethered Bilayer Lipid Membranes (TBLMS)', BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, pp. 294A-294A.
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Dalton, BM, Darcy, S & Green, J 1970, 'Oligopoly in Monopsony: The rise of Australian Big Charity in the delivery of services to people with a disability', 28th ANZAM Conference 2014, Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Conference, ANZAM, Sydney, Australia.
De Abreu Lourenco, R, Kenny, PM & Hall, JP 1970, 'Factors linked to patient GP payments: results of a survey of Australian patients', 2014 PHC Research Conference, Canberra.
De Pedro, M, Wood, L & Oliver, B 1970, 'THE EFFECT OF FATTY ACIDS ON B2-AGONIST RESPONSE IN HUMAN AIRWAY SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 64-64.
DiGiacomo, M, Lewis, J, Phillips, J, Nolan, M & Davidson, PM 1970, 'Transitioning to widowhood in older women: a mixed methods study', Australian Epidemiological Association, Brisbane.
Elliott, J, Lees, T, Nassif, N & Lal, S 1970, 'Cardiovascular measures and sleep health associations with shift work in police officers: A physiological assessment', 31st Combined Health Science Conference; New Horizons, Sydney, Australia.
Falque, R, Vidal-Calleja, T, Miro, JV, Lingnau, DC & Russell, DE 1970, 'Background segmentation to enhance remote field eddy current signals', Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation, ACRA, Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation, ARAA, Melbourne University.
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Pipe condition assessment is critical to avoid breakages. Remote Field Eddy Current (RFEC) is a commonly used technology to assess the condition of pipes. The nature of this technology induces some particular noise into its measurements. In this paper, we develop a 3D simulation based on the Finite Element Analysis to study the properties of this noise. Moreover, we propose a filtering process based on a modified version of graph-cuts segmentation method to remove the influence of this noise. Simulated data together with an experimental data-set obtained from a real RFEC inspection show the validity of the proposed approach.
Furqan, F & Hoang, DB 1970, 'LTE_FICC: A New Mechanism for Provision of QoS and Congestion Control in LTE/LTE-Advanced Networks', Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, LNICST, International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Systems: Networks and Services, Springer International Publishing, Tokyo, Japan, pp. 768-781.
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© Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2014. In Long Term Evolution (LTE)/LTE-Advanced architecture, the basic schedulers allocate resources without taking congestion at the Evolved NodeB (eNodeB’s) output buffer into account. This leads to buffer overflows and deterioration in overall Quality of Service (QoS). Congestion avoidance and fair bandwidth allocation is hardly considered in existing research for the LTE/ LTE-Advanced uplink connections. This paper introduces a mechanism for LTE and LTE-Advanced, LTE Fair Intelligent Congestion Control (LTE_FICC), to control congestion at an eNodeB. LTE_FICC jointly exists with the scheduler at the eNodeB to guarantee efficient traffic scheduling, in order to make the output buffer operate around a target operating point. LTE_FICC also overcomes the problem of unfair bandwidth allocation among the flows that share the same eNodeB interface. LTE_FICC is simple, robust and scalable, as it uses per queue rather than per flow accounting. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, simulations were performed in Opnet using LTE module. The results demonstrated that LTE_FICC controls the eNodeB buffer effectively; prevents overflows; and ensures the QoS of flows in terms of fair bandwidth allocation, improved throughput and reduced queuing delay.
Furqan, F, Hoang, DB & Collings, IB 1970, 'Effects of quality of service schemes on the capacity and dimensioning of LTE networks', 2014 IEEE 33rd International Performance Computing and Communications Conference (IPCCC), 2014 IEEE International Performance Computing and Communications Conference (IPCCC), IEEE, Austin, USA, pp. 1-8.
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With high data rate and mobility support wireless networks are becoming an integral part of the ubiquitous broadband access. Appropriate dimensioning of the wireless access networks is essential to satisfy users' Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. Once the network is dimensioned, dynamic variations in traffic or population distribution can affect the capability of the network to deliver the agreed QoS of connections. Consequently, re-dimension the network may be necessary. Current researches do not discuss the effects of QoS schemes on the capacity of the network. In this paper, we investigate the impact of QoS schemes on the capacity of the network. The objective is to determine the capability of the network to deal with the variations in the demography of the covered area and the user's traffic profile with the proposed QoS schemes including Congestion Control (CC) and Radio Admission Control (RAC). Different scenarios are presented to evaluate the effects of QoS schemes on the capacity of the network. This investigation will assist network operators to determine the point after which the network needs to be re-dimensioned.
Furqan, F, Hoang, DB & Collings, IB 1970, 'LTE-Advanced fair intelligent admission control LTE-FIAC', Proceeding of IEEE International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks 2014, 2014 IEEE 15th International Symposium on 'A World of Wireless, Mobile and Multimedia Networks' (WoWMoM), IEEE, Sydney, NSW.
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Radio Admission Control (RAC) is a key function of the Radio Resource Management (RRM) at layer 3 of an eNodeB; however, the 3GPP standard does not specify the RAC and is left as an eNodeB vendor specific. Most admission control schemes proposed to date do not ensure differentiation among the users at different priority levels. Also, they do not provide fairness among the users with the same priority. This paper proposes a novel RAC scheme for Long Term Evolution (LTE-Advanced) networks based on the combined idea of complete sharing and virtual partitioning. It introduces a step wise degradation scheme, to prioritize the high priority traffic in state of resource limitations. A detailed and comprehensive simulation is performed in Opnet to show the efficiency of the proposed RAC scheme. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed RAC scheme minimizes the call blocking probability and adheres extremely well to the bandwidth constraints of different traffic types.
Gabrys, B 1970, 'Robust Adaptive Predictive Modeling and Data Deluge (Extended Abstract)', MAN-MACHINE INTERACTIONS 3, 3rd International Conference on Man-Machine Interactions (ICMMI), Springer International Publishing, Brenna, POLAND, pp. 39-41.
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Ge, Q, Chen, L, Jaffar, J, Black, J, Burgess, J & Oliver, B 1970, 'FIBULIN-1C PEPTIDE INDUCES CELL ATTACHMENT, PROLIFERATION AND ECM DEPOSITION IN LUNG FIBROBLAST', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 56-56.
Ge, Q, Oliver, BG, Tjin, G, Lau, E, Zeng, Q, Black, JL & Burgess, JK 1970, 'Differential Deposition Of Fibronectin By Asthmatic Airway Epithelial Cells', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, AMER THORACIC SOC.
Ge, Q, Zeng, Q, Tjin, G, Lau, E, Black, J, Oliver, B & Burgess, J 1970, 'DIFFERENCES IN FIBRONECTIN PRODUCTION BETWEEN ASTHMATIC AND NONASTHMATIC AIRWAY EPITHELIAL CELLS', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 89-89.
Gentile, C, Kuehn, B, Davies, MJ & dos Remedios, CG 1970, 'A Novel Method for Isolating and Culturing Human Cardiomyocytes from Cryopreserved Tissues', Biophysical Journal, 58th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical-Society, Elsevier BV, San Francisco, CA, pp. 564a-564a.
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Ghosh, S, Feng, M, Nguyen, H & Li, J 1970, 'Risk prediction for acute hypotensive patients by using gap constrained sequential contrast patterns.', AMIA Annu Symp Proc, AMIA Annual Symposium, AMIA, United States, pp. 1748-1757.
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The development of acute hypotension in a critical care patient causes decreased tissue perfusion, which can lead to multiple organ failures. Existing systems that employ population level prognostic scores to stratify the risks of critical care patients based on hypotensive episodes are suboptimal in predicting impending critical conditions, or in directing an effective goal-oriented therapy. In this work, we propose a sequential pattern mining approach which target novel and informative sequential contrast patterns for the detection of hypotension episodes. Our results demonstrate the competitiveness of the approach, in terms of both prediction performance as well as knowledge interpretability. Hence, sequential patterns-based computational biomarkers can help comprehend unusual episodes in critical care patients ahead of time for early warning systems. Sequential patterns can thus aid in the development of a powerful critical care knowledge discovery framework for facilitating novel patient treatment plans.
Gunduz, O, Sahin, YM, Agathopoulos, S, Ağaoğulları, D, Gökçe, H, Kayali, ES, Aktas, C, Ben-Nissan, B & Oktar, FN 1970, 'Nano Calcium Phosphate Powder Production through Chemical Agitation from Atlantic Deer Cowrie Shells (<i>Cypraea cervus Linnaeus</i>)', Key Engineering Materials, Symposium and Annual Meeting of International Society for Ceramics in Medicine (ISCM), Trans Tech Publications, Ltd., Bucharest, ROMANIA, pp. 80-85.
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The process is a simple chemical method and aims to produce nano-structured calcium phosphate powders from natural sources, for biomedical applications. For this purpose, Atlantic Deer Cowrie (ADC) shells (Cypraea cervus Linnaeus, 1771) were collected from a local gift store in Istanbul. The empty shells were cleaned and crushed then were ball milled and sieved under 100µm. The raw powders were suspended on a hotplate stirrer for a simple chemical agitation. The temperature was kept at 80°C for 15 min. and then appropriate amount of H3PO4was added by titration into the prepared solution to form calcium phosphate precursors. The solution was stirred on a hotplate for 8 hours then dried at 100°C for 24 hours. Afterwards the resulting dried sediments were collected and heat treated between 400-800°C for 4 hours, dependent on the required specific calcium phosphate phase. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were carried out for identifying various hydroxyapatite (HA), tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and other calcium phosphate phases. Various particle sizes ranging from nano to micron, are obtained depending on the chemistry used and the processing technique applied during the production. A range of calcium phosphate phases can be obtained from ADC shells, by using a simple and economic conversion method. Proper cleaning methods developed and appropriate preparation techniques will enable us to use these nano calcium phosphate powders in orthopedic and dental applications.
Gupta, VK, You, Y, Gupta, V, Golzan, M, Al-Adawy, N & Graham, SL 1970, 'Activation of Plasmin Proteolytic System in Glaucoma and the Neuroprotective Role of TrkB Receptor Agonists', INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE, ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC.
Hoang, DB & Chen, L 1970, 'Health Records Protection in Cloud Environment', 2014 IEEE 13th International Symposium on Network Computing and Applications, 2014 IEEE 13th International Symposium on Network Computing and Applications (NCA), IEEE, USA, pp. 85-90.
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© 2014 IEEE. Cloud computing is a cost-effective solution to the current expensive IT infrastructure for healthcare but it has not been adopted due to the due to the concerns that current Cloud technologies are inadequate to protect sensitive information contents of health records in the outsourced environment. This paper focuses on how electronic health records can be protected in the Cloud environments deploying our proposed trust-oriented data protection framework. In particular, it introduces a technique for transforming raw electronic health records to active data cubes and for encoding data for storage and fast access. Implementation of the framework is also presented.
Hu, K, Kabakova, IV, Büttner, TFS, Lefrancois, S, Hudson, DD, He, S & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Low-threshold Brillouin laser at 2 μm based on suspended-core chalcogenide fiber', Advanced Solid State Lasers, Advanced Solid State Lasers, OSA.
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We present the first demonstration of a 2 μm Brillouin laser based on chalcogenide fiber. A record-low lasing threshold of 52 mW is achieved, which is about 10 times lower than the earlier reports.
Hu, K, Kabakova, IV, Büttner, TFS, Lefrancois, S, Hudson, DD, He, S & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Low-threshold Brillouin laser at 2 μm based on suspended-core chalcogenide fiber.', Opt Lett, OPTICAL SOC AMER, United States, pp. 4651-4654.
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We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of a 2 μm Brillouin laser based on a thulium-doped fiber pump and a chalcogenide fiber. A short 1.5 m piece of suspended-core chalcogenide As38Se62 fiber is employed as a gain medium, taking advantage of its small effective mode area and high Brillouin gain coefficient. A record-low lasing threshold of 52 mW is achieved, which is about 10 times lower than previously demonstrated in silica fiber cavities.
Huy Hoang Nguyen, Tuan Nghia Nguyen, Clout, R & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'An advanced control strategy of an electrical — Powered hospital bed', 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), IEEE, Chicago, USA, pp. 1190-1193.
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This paper develops a multivariable control technique for low-level control of an intelligent hospital bed. First, multivariable hospital bed models, nominal, upper bounded and lower bounded models, are obtained via an experimental identification procedure. Based on the obtained nominal model, the triangular diagonal dominance (TDD) decoupling technique is applied to reduce a complex multivariable system into a series of scalar systems. For each scalar system, an online adaptive control strategy is then developed to cope with system uncertainties. Compared to the conventional control method, real-time experimental results showed that our proposed multivariable control technique achieved better performance. Experimental results also confirmed that desirable system performance was guaranteed under system uncertainty conditions.
Jadidi, MG, Miro, JV, Valencia, R & Andrade-Cetto, J 1970, 'Exploration on continuous Gaussian process frontier maps', 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE, Hong Kong, pp. 6077-6082.
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© 2014 IEEE. An information-driven autonomous robotic exploration method on a continuous representation of unknown environments is proposed in This paper. The approach conveniently handles sparse sensor measurements To build a continuous model of The environment That exploits structural dependencies without The need To resort To a fixed resolution grid map. A gradient field of occupancy probability distribution is regressed from sensor data as a Gaussian process providing frontier boundaries for further exploration. The resulting continuous global frontier surface completely describes unexplored regions and, inherently, provides an automatic stop criterion for a desired sensitivity. The performance of The proposed approach is evaluated Through simulation results in The well-known Freiburg and Cave maps.
Jaffar, J, Chrzanowski, W, Faiz, A, Wolters, P, Oliver, B, Black, J & Burgess, J 1970, 'PRIMARY LUNG FIBROBLASTS FROM PATIENTS WITH IPF SHOW INCREASED STIFFNESS WHICH MAY BE DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL PRODUCTION OF ECM PROTEINS', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 19-19.
Jaffar, J, Oliver, BG, Black, JL & Burgess, JK 1970, 'The Matricellular Protein Fibulin-1 Is Increased In Primary Parenchymal Fibroblasts Derived From Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, AMER THORACIC SOC.
Jaffar, J, Van Ly, D, Munk, L, Corte, T, Cerri, S, Richeldi, L, Wolters, P, Prele, C, Oliver, R, Oliver, B, Black, J & Burgess, J 1970, 'THE MATRICELLULAR PROTEIN FIBULIN-1 IS A BETTER MARKER OF DISEASE PROGRESSION THAN PERIOSTIN, TENASCIN-C AND FIBRONECTIN IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 34-34.
Jiang, Z, Dai, N, Yang, L, Peng, J, Li, H, Li, J & Liu, W 1970, 'Effects of Al2O3 composition on the near-infrared emission in Bi-doped and Yb–Bi-codoped silicate glasses for broadband optical amplification', Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, Elsevier BV, pp. 196-199.
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Jing Zhou, Xu, J, Aihuang Guo, Su, S & Hung Nguyen 1970, 'A game theory control scheme in medium access for wireless body area network', 10th International Conference on Wireless Communications, Networking and Mobile Computing (WiCOM 2014), 10th International Conference on Wireless Communications, Networking and Mobile Computing (WiCOM 2014), Institution of Engineering and Technology, China, pp. 404-409.
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Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) has been considered for applications in medical, healthcare and sports fields. Although there are several protocols for wireless personal area networks, specific features and reliability requirements in WBAN bring new challenges in protocol design. An appropriate control scheme in the MAC layer can make a significant improvement in network performance. Based on traffic priority and prior knowledge this paper proposes a game theoretical framework to smartly control access in contention period and contention free period as defined in IEEE 802.15.6 standard. The coordinator controls access probability of contention period based on users' priority in CSMA/CA and allocates suitable slots with strategies for best payoff based on link states in guaranteed time slots (GTS). The simulation results show the improved performance especially in heavily loaded channel condition when the optimal control mode is applied.
Kabakova, IV, Büttner, TFS, Merklein, M, Choi, DY, Madden, S, Luther-Davies, B & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Advances in chip-based Brillouin sources', 2014 OptoElectronics and Communication Conference, OECC 2014 and Australian Conference on Optical Fibre Technology, ACOFT 2014, 19th OptoElectronics and Communication Conference (OECC) / 39th Australian Conference on Optical Fibre Technology (ACOFT), IEEE, Engineers Australia, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA, pp. 335-336.
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We present single- and multifrequency Brillouin lasers based on chalcogenide photonic chip. The high Brillouin gain of chalcogenide and the small waveguide cross-section make it possible to achieve lasing in a few centimeter long waveguide. © 2014 Engineers Australia.
Kenny, PM, Haas, MR, Goodall, S, Wong, C & De Abreu Lourenco, R 1970, 'Patient preferences in General Practice: Important factors for choosing a GP', 2014 PHC Research Conference, Canberra.
Khoo, BL, Warkiani, ME, Guan, G, Tan, DS-W, Lim, AST, Lim, W-T, Yap, YS, Lee, SC, Soo, RA, Han, J & Lim, CT 1970, 'Ultra-High Throughput Enrichment of Viable Circulating Tumor Cells', IFMBE Proceedings, Springer International Publishing, pp. 1-4.
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© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. Detection, enumeration and characterization of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the peripheral blood of cancer patients potentially provide critical insights into tumor biology and is promising for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we present a novel multiplexed spiral microfluidic device for ultra-high throughput, label-free enrichment of CTCs from clinically relevant blood volumes. The fast processing time of the technique (7.5 mL blood in < 5 min) and high sensitivity of the device lends itself to a broad range of potential genomic and transcriptomic applications. The method can specifically separate and preserve all fractions of blood (i.e., plasma, CTCs and PBMC) for diverse downstream analysis. CTCs were detected from 100% (10/10) of blood samples collected from patients with advanced stage metastatic breast (12- 56 CTC/ml) or lung cancer (30-153 CTC/ml). Cancer cells were characterized with immunostaining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) (HER2/neu). Retrieved cells were unlabelled and hence more viable for propagation and other informative analysis such as the next generation sequencing (NGS) to guide treatment and individualized patient care.
Kirkup, L, Varadharajan, M, Braun, M, Buffler, A & Lubben, F 1970, 'Matching the background of demonstrators with those of their students: does it make a difference?', Students Transitions Achievement Retention and Success, Melbourne.
Le, M, Nauck, D, Gabrys, B & Martin, T 1970, 'Sequential Clustering for Event Sequences and Its Impact on Next Process Step Prediction', INFORMATION PROCESSING AND MANAGEMENT OF UNCERTAINTY IN KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS, PT I, 15th International Conference on Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-based Systems (IPMU), SPRINGER-VERLAG BERLIN, Montpellier, FRANCE, pp. 168-178.
Li, J, Fong, S, Zhuang, Y & Khoury, R 1970, 'Hierarchical Classification in Text Mining for Sentiment Analysis', 2014 International Conference on Soft Computing and Machine Intelligence, 2014 International Conference on Soft Computing & Machine Intelligence (ISCMI), IEEE, New Delhi, INDIA, pp. 46-51.
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Ling, SH, San, PP, Lam, HK, Nguyen, HT & IEEE 1970, 'Non-invasive Detection of Hypoglycemic Episodes in Type1 Diabetes Using Intelligent Hybrid Rough Neural System', 2014 IEEE CONGRESS ON EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION (CEC), IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, IEEE, Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA, pp. 1238-1242.
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© 2014 IEEE. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is classified as Type 1 diabetes and it can be further classified as immunemediated or idiopathic. Through the analysis of electrocar-diographic (ECG) signals of 15 children with T1DM, an effective hypoglycemia detection system, hybrid rough set based neural network (RNN) is developed by the use of physiological parameters of ECG signal. In order to detect the status of hypoglycemia, the feature of ECG of type 1 diabetics are extracted and classified according to corresponding glucose levels. In this technique, the applied physiological inputs are partitioned into predicted (certain) or random (uncertain) parts using defined lower and boundary of rough regions. In this way, the neural network is designed to deal only with the boundary region which mainly consists of a random part of applied input signal causing inaccurate modeling of the data set. A global training algorithm, hybrid particle swarm optimization with wavelet mutation (HPSOWM) is introduced for parameter optimization of proposed RNN. The experiment is carried out using real data collected at Department of Health, Government of Western Australia. It indicated that the proposed hybrid architecture is efficient for hypoglycemia detection by achieving better sensitivity and specificity with less number of design parameters.
Linh Lan Nguyen, Su, S & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'Neural network approach for non-invasive detection of hyperglycemia using electrocardiographic signals', 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), IEEE, Chicago, IL, pp. 4475-4478.
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Hyperglycemia or high blood glucose (sugar) level is a common dangerous complication among patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Hyperglycemia can cause serious health problems if left untreated such as heart disease, stroke, vision and nerve problems. Based on the electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters, we have identified hyperglycemic and normoglycemic states in T1DM patients. In this study, a classification unit is introduced with the approach of feed forward multi-layer neural network to detect the presences of hyperglycemic/normoglycemic episodes using ECG parameters as inputs. A practical experiment using the real T1DM patients' data sets collected from Department of Health, Government of Western Australia is studied. Experimental results show that proposed ECG parameters contributed significantly to the good performance of hyperglycemia detections in term of sensitivity, specificity and geometric mean (70.59%, 65.38%, and 67.94%, respectively). From these results, it is proved that hyperglycemic events in T1DM can be detected non-invasively and effectively by using ECG signals and ANN approach.
Liu, C, Lam, HK, Zhang, X, Li, H, Ling, SH & IEEE 1970, 'Relaxed Stability Conditions Based on Taylor Series Membership Functions for Polynomial Fuzzy-Model-Based Control Systems', 2014 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUZZY SYSTEMS (FUZZ-IEEE), IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, IEEE, Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA, pp. 2111-2118.
Liu, DK, Dissanayake, G, Valls Miro, J & Waldron, KJ 1970, 'Infrastructure Robotics: Research Challenges and Opportunities', Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC), 31st International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction, International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction (IAARC), Sydney, Australia, pp. 43-49.
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Infrastructure robotics is about research on and development of methodologies that enable robotic systems to be used in civil infrastructure inspection, maintenance and rehabilitation. This paper briefly discusses the current research challenges and opportunities in infrastructure robotics, and presents a review of the research activities and projects in this field at the Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Technology Sydney.
Lovell, MR, Birch, M-R, Luckett, T, Davidson, PM, Phillips, J, Agar, M, Boyle, FM, Stubbs, J & Spruyt, O 1970, 'PILOT OF PAIN INDICATOR AUDIT TOOL AS PART OF A COMPLEX INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE CANCER PAIN OUTCOMES', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 45-45.
Lovell, MR, Luckett, T, Phillips, J, Boyle, F, Davidson, PM, Stubbs, J, Birch, M-R, Spruyt, O & Agar, M 1970, 'CANCER PAIN: CLOSING THE EVIDENCE-PRACTICE GAP', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 101-101.
Martín, F, Valls Miró, J & Moreno, L 1970, 'Towards Exploiting the Advantages of Colour in Scan Matching', Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, Iberian Robotics Conference, Springer International Publishing, Madrid, pp. 217-231.
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© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. Colour plays an important role in the perception systems of the human beings. In robotics, the development of new sensors has made it possible to obtain colour information together with depth information about the environment. The exploitation of this type of information has become more and more important in numerous tasks. In our recent work, we have developed an evolutionary-based scan matching method. The aim of this work is to modify this method by the introduction of colour properties, taking the first steps in studying how to use colour to improve the scan matching. In particular, we have applied a colour transition detection method based on the delta E divergence between neighbours in a scan. Our algorithm has been tested in a real environment and significant conclusions have been reached.
Meng, Q, Tafavogh, S, Kennedy, PJ & IEEE 1970, 'Community Detection on Heterogeneous Networks by Multiple Semantic-Path Clustering', 2014 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL ASPECTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKS (CASON), International Conference on Computational Aspects of Social Networks (CASoN), IEEE, Porto, PORTUGAL, pp. 7-12.
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© 2014 IEEE. Heterogeneous networks have become a commonly used model to represent complex and abstract social phenomena. They allow objects to have many different relationships and represent relationships by semantic paths which connect object types via a sequence of relations. A major challenge in community detection on heterogeneous networks is how to organize and combine different semantic paths. In order to acquire desired clustering, we propose a novel community detection method for heterogeneous networks based on matrix decomposition and semantic paths. The major advantage of this method is to treat objects individually and to assign them with different combinations of semantic-path weights so as to improve the clustering quality. The comparative experiments of the proposed method with another two state-of-the-art methods, spectral clustering and path-selection clustering, confirms that it can acquire desired clustering results better.
Merklein, M, Kabakova, IV, Buettner, T, Madden, S, Luther-Davies, B, Choi, D-Y & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Slow-light enhanced Brillouin frequency comb generation on a chip', CLEO: 2014, CLEO: Science and Innovations, OSA.
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Merklein, M, Kabakova, IV, Buettner, TFS, Madden, SJ, Luther-Davies, B, Choi, DY & Eggleton, BJ 1970, 'Slow-light enhanced brillouin frequency comb generation on a chip', Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe - Technical Digest.
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We present the experimental observation of the slow-light enhancement effect on the generation of a frequency comb formed by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a chip scale As2S3 rib waveguide.
Naik, GR, Acharyya, A & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'Classification of finger extension and flexion of EMG and Cyberglove data with modified ICA weight matrix', 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), IEEE, Chicago, USA, pp. 3829-3832.
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© 2014 IEEE. This paper reports the classification of finger flexion and extension of surface Electromyography (EMG) and Cyberglove data using the modified Independent Component Analysis (ICA) weight matrix. The finger flexion and extension data are processed through Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and next separated using modified ICA for each individual with customized weight matrix. The extension and flexion features of sEMG and Cyberglove (extracted from modified ICA) were classified using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) with near 90% classification accuracy. The applications of this study include Human Computer Interface (HCI), virtual reality and neural prosthetics.
Ng, JPM, Chen, H, Cortie, M, Milthorpe, BK & Valenzuela, SM 1970, 'A gold bullet to treat obesity related metabolic disorders', Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, Elsevier BV, pp. 73-73.
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Norouzi, M, Miro, JV, Dissanayake, G & Vidal-Calleja, T 1970, 'Path planning with stability uncertainty for articulated mobile vehicles in challenging environments', 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014), IEEE, Chicago, IL, pp. 1748-1753.
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© 2014 IEEE. This article proposes a probabilistic approach to account for robot stability uncertainty when planing motions over uneven terrains. A novel probabilistic stability criterion derived from the cumulative distribution of a tip-over metric is introduced that allows a safety constraint to be dynamically updated by available sensor data as it becomes available. The proposed safety constraint authorizes the planner to generates more conservative motion plans for areas with higher levels of uncertainty, while avoids unnecessary caution in well-known areas. The proposed systematic approach is particularly applicable to reconfigurable robots that can assume safer postures when required, although is equally valid for fixed-configuration platforms to choose safer paths to follow. The advantages of planning with the proposed probabilistic stability metric are demonstrated with data collected from an indoor rescue arena, as well as an outdoor rover testing facility.
Nowak, P, Czeczot, J, Klopot, T, Szymura, M & Gabrys, B 1970, 'Linearizing Controller for Higher-degree Nonlinear Processes with Compensation for Modeling Inaccuracies - Practical Validation and Future Developments', Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, 11th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics, SCITEPRESS - Science and and Technology Publications, pp. 691-698.
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This work shows the results of the practical implementation of the linearizing controller for the example laboratory pneumatic process of the third relative degree. Controller design is based on the Lie algebra framework but in contrast to the previous attempts, the on-line model update method is suggested to ensure offset-free control. The paper details the proposed concept and reports the experiences from the practical implementation of the suggested controller. The superiority of the proposed approach over the conventional PI controller is demonstrated by experimental results. Based on the experiences and the validation results, the possibilities of the potential application of the data-driven soft sensors for further improvement of the control performance are discussed.
Patel, M, Miro, JV & Dissanayake, G 1970, 'A probabilistic approach to learn activities of daily living of a mobility aid device user', 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE, Hong Kong, pp. 969-974.
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© 2014 IEEE. The problem of inferring human behaviour is naturally complex: people interact with the environment and each other in many different ways, and dealing with the often incomplete and uncertain sensed data by which the actions are perceived only compounds the difficulty of the problem. In this paper, we propose a framework whereby these elaborate behaviours can be naturally simplified by decomposing them into smaller activities, whose temporal dependencies can be more efficiently represented via probabilistic hierarchical learning models. In this regard, patterns of a number of activities typically carried out by users of an ambulatory aid device have been identified with the aid of a Hierarchical Hidden Markov Model (HHMM) framework. By decomposing the complex behaviours into multiple layers of abstraction the approach is shown capable of modelling and learning these tightly coupled human-machine interactions. The inference accuracy of the proposed model is proven to compare favourably against more traditional discriminative models, as well as other compatible generative strategies to provide a complete picture that highlights the benefits of the proposed approach, and opens the door to more intelligent assistance with a robotic mobility aid.
Phillips, JL, Heneka, N, Lam, L & Shaw, T 1970, 'A COMPLEX QSTREAM (R) PAIN ASSESSMENT INTERVENTION ON CANCER NURSES' PAIN SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT PRACTICES: RESULTS FROM A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, pp. 136-136.
Phillips, JL, Heneka, N, Lam, LT & Shaw, T 1970, 'MULTI-CENTRE PRE-POST TEST TRIAL OF A COMPLEX QSTREAM (c) PAIN ASSESSMENT INTERVENTION ON CANCER NURSES' PAIN SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT PRACTICES', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, pp. 206-206.
Poon, J & Miro, JV 1970, 'A Multi-modal Utility to Assist Powered Mobility Device Navigation Tasks', SOCIAL ROBOTICS, International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR), Springer International Publishing, Sydney, Australia, pp. 300-309.
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© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. This paper presents the development of a shared control systemfor power mobility device users of varying capability in order toreduce carer oversight in navigation. Weighting of a user’s joystick inputagainst a short-tem trajectory prediction and obstacle avoidancealgorithm is conducted by taking into consideration proximity to obstaclesand smoothness of user driving, resulting in capable users rewardedgreater levels of manual control for undertaking maneuvres that can beconsidered more challenging. An additional optional comparison with aVector Field Histogram applied to leader-tracking provides further activities,such as completely autonomous following and a task for the userto follow a leading entity. Indoor tests carried out on university campusdemonstrate the viability of this work, with future trials at a care homefor the disabled intended to show the system functioning in one of itsintended settings.
Pradhan, S & Gay, V 1970, 'Trust Management VIII', IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, IFIP WG International Conference on Trust Management, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Singapore, pp. 221-228.
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Healthcare blogs, podcasts, search engines and health social networks are now widely used, and referred as crowdsources, to share information such as opinions, side effects, medication and types of therapies. Attitudes and behaviours of the users play a vital role on how they create, share, retrieve and utilise the information for their own or recommend to others for specific health issues. Our research aims at defining a framework to design recommendation system that uses profiling and social networks in dental care. This paper focuses on trust derived in direct interaction between a patient and a dentist from subjective characteristics’ point of view. It highlights that attitudes, behaviours and perception of both patients and dentists are important social elements, which enhance trust and improve the matching process between them. This study forms a basis for our profile-based trust framework for dynamic dental care recommendation systems.
Pradhan, S, Gay, V & Nepal, S 1970, 'Improving dental care recommendation systems using patient and dentist profiling', Proceedings of the 25th Australasian Conference on Information Systems, ACIS 2014, Australasian Conference on Information Systems, ACIS, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Online social networks are emerging in a fast pace as people have started to rely on the information presented on such platforms as a source for many day-to-day activities such as travel, shopping, healthcare, weather and even government services. However, the usage seems to be far less for the healthcare and dental care recommendation sites. This paper investigates whether adding profiling would make a difference in the quality of the recommendation. It analyses dentists' qualities from online dental reviews. The patients are classified based on their dental behavior and type of personality obtained from a popular personality test. A survey on 240 participants confirms that participants with different personality prioritise dentists' qualities differently when selecting their ideal dentist. From this finding, this paper recommends integrating subjective characteristics while profiling both dentists and patients in dental recommendation systems.
Pradhan, S, Gay, V & Nepal, S 1970, 'Improving dental care recommendation systems using trust and social networks', 2014 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), ICC 2014 - 2014 IEEE International Conference on Communications, IEEE, Sydney, pp. 4264-4269.
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The growing popularity of Health Social Networking sites has a tremendous impact on people's health related experiences. However, without any quality filtering, there could be a detrimental effect on the users' health. Trust-based techniques have been identified as effective methods to filter the information for recommendation systems. This research focuses on dental care related social networks and recommendation systems. Trust is critical when choosing a dental care provider due to the invasive nature of the treatment. Surprisingly, current dental care recommendation systems do not use trust-based techniques, and most of them are simple reviews and ratings sites. This research aims at improving dental care recommendation systems by proposing a new framework, taking trust into account. It derives trust from both users' social networks and from existing crowdsourced information on dental care. Such a framework could be used for other healthcare recommendation systems where trust is of major importance.
Pradhan, S, Gay, V & Nepal, S 1970, 'Improving the matching process of dental care recommendation systems by using subjective criteria for both patients and dentists', Proceedings - Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, PACIS 2014, Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, AIS, Singapore.
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Nowadays, healthcare recommendation systems are matching health professionals with patients based on preferences such as location, type of treatments, price, availability or other information including their type of health insurance. In the health social network domain, subjective criteria such as attitude, personality and behaviour have not been considered for matching of patients and health professionals. In this research, we focus on dental care recommendation systems and we aim at introducing subjective criteria in the matching process. Patients are profiled in terms of attitudes, personalities and behaviours through a set of questionnaires, derived from the popular methods such as DISC (Dominant, Influencer, Steady, and Compliant) personality test. In addition, we use crowdsourcing to extract feedback from patients and to profile dentists according to their qualities (e.g.: Friendly, caring, rude, etc.). These qualities are then used in the matching process. A thorough investigation on how to improve the matching process of a patient's subjective profile with a dentist's qualities is done through online questionnaires and focus group. The research aims at deriving a dynamic set of matching rules to improve the process of recommendation that includes subjective aspects so that in the future, patients can be better matched with the 'right' dentist for them.
Rankin, N, Shaw, T, McGregor, D, Butow, P, White, K, Young, J, Phillips, J, Pearson, S, York, S, Simes, J, Jones, R, Barnes, D & Stone, E 1970, 'BUILDING AN IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE PROGRAM IN LUNG CANCER CARE: RESULTS FROM SYDNEY CATALYST TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESEARCH CENTRE', ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 85-85.
Roxby, DN, Nham Tran & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'A simple microbial fuel cell model for improvement of biomedical device powering times', 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), IEEE, Sheraton Chicago Towers and Hotel, Chicago, United States of America, pp. 634-637.
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© 2014 IEEE. This study describes a Matlab based Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) model for a suspended microbial population, in the anode chamber for the use of the MFC in powering biomedical devices. The model contains three main sections including microbial growth, microbial chemical uptake and secretion and electrochemical modeling. The microbial growth portion is based on a Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) model for the microbial growth with substrate and electron acceptors. Microbial stoichiometry is used to determine chemical concentrations and their rates of change and transfer within the MFC. These parameters are then used in the electrochemical modeling for calculating current, voltage and power. The model was tested for typically exhibited MFC characteristics including increased electrode distances and surface areas, overpotentials and operating temperatures. Implantable biomedical devices require long term powering which is the main objective for MFCs. Towards this end, our model was tested with different initial substrate and electron acceptor concentrations, revealing a four-fold increase in concentrations decreased the power output time by 50%. Additionally, the model also predicts that for a 35.7% decrease in specific growth rate, a 50% increase in power longevity is possible.
Salvador, MM, Gabrys, B & Žliobaitė, I 1970, 'Online Detection of Shutdown Periods in Chemical Plants: A Case Study', Procedia Computer Science, 18th Annual International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems (KES), Elsevier BV, Pomeranian Sci & Technol, Gdynia, POLAND, pp. 580-588.
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San, PP, Ling, SH, Soe, NN, Nguyen, HT & IEEE 1970, 'A Novel Extreme Learning Machine for Hypoglycemia Detection', 2014 36TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY (EMBC), International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE, Chicago, pp. 302-305.
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Skinner, B, Vidal-Calleja, T, Miro, JV, De Bruijn, F & Falque, R 1970, '3D point cloud upsampling for accurate reconstruction of dense 2.5D thickness maps', Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation, ACRA, Australasian Conference on Robotics and Automation, ARAA, Melbourne University.
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This paper presents a novel robust processing methodology for computing 2.5D thickness maps from dense 3D collocated surfaces. The proposed pipeline is suitable to faithfully adjust data representation detailing as required, from preserving fine surface features to coarse interpretations. The foundations of the proposed technique exploit spatial point-based filtering, ray tracing techniques and the Robust Implicit Moving Least Squares (RIMLS) algorithm applied to dense 3D datasets, such as those acquired from laser scanners. The effectiveness of the proposed technique in overcoming traditional angular aliasing and corruption artifacts is validated with 3D ranging data acquired from internal and external surfaces of exhumed water pipes. It is shown that the resulting 2.5D maps can be more accurately and completely computed to higher resolutions, while significantly reducing the number of raytracing errors when compared with 2.5D thickness maps derived from our current approach.
Stelzer-Braid, S, Toelle, B, Willenborg, C, Garden, F, Strachan, R, Jaffe, A, Oliver, B, Belessis, Y, Reddel, H, Marks, G, Rawlinson, W & Tovey, E 1970, 'SNEEZING LEADS TO WHEEZING: RHINOVIRUS INFECTION IN THE STUDY OF ASTHMA, VIRUSES AND ENVIRONMENT (SAVE) COHORT', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 38-38.
Su, D & Miro, JV 1970, 'An ultrasonic/RF GP-based sensor model robotic solution for indoors/outdoors person tracking', 2014 13th International Conference on Control Automation Robotics & Vision (ICARCV), 2014 13th International Conference on Control Automation Robotics & Vision (ICARCV), IEEE, Singapore, Singapore, pp. 1662-1667.
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© 2014 IEEE. An non-linear Bayesian regression engine for robotic tracking based on an ultrasonic/RF sensor unit is presented in this paper. The proposed system is able to maintain systematic tracking of a leading human in indoor/outdoor settings with minimalistic instrumentation. Compared to popular camera based localization system the sonar array/RF based system has the advantage of being insensitive to background light intensity changes, a primary concern in outdoor environments. In contrast to single-plane laser range finder based tracking the proposed scheme is able to better adapt to small terrain variations, while at the same time being a significantly more affordable proposition for tracking with a robotic unit. A key novelty in this work is the utilisation of Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) to build a model for the sensor unit, which is shown to compare favourably against traditional linear triangulation approaches. The covariance function yield by the GPR sensor model also provides the additional benefit of outlier rejection. We present experimental results of indoors and outdoors tracking by mounting the sensor unit on a Garden Utility Transportation System (GUTS) robot and compare the proposed approach with linear triangulation which clearly show the inference engine capability to generalise relative localisation of human and a marked improvement in tracking accuracy and robustness.
Tafavogh, S, Meng, Q, Catchpoole, DR & Kennedy, PJ 1970, 'Automated Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Whole Neuroblastoma Tumour Images for Prognosis', Biomedical Engineering / 817: Robotics Applications, Biomedical Engineering / Robotics Applications, ACTAPRESS, Zurich, Switzerland, pp. 244-251.
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Manual quantitative and qualitative microscopic analysis of cancerous tumours is subject to inter-intra observer variability in pathology. Neuroblastoma is an infant cancer with one of the lowest survival rates. Choosing a proper therapeutic regime for the tumour is highly dependent on determining the tumour aggressiveness level which requires an extensive microscopic analysis. There is an urgent demand from pathologists for reducing the role of microscopic analysis in the process of prognosis and using an automated system to determine the tumour aggressiveness. In this paper, we develop an automated system to address this demand. We propose a novel four-stage hybrid algorithm. First, we develop novel whole slide image partitioning and zooming techniques. Second, we introduce an image enhancement technique to reduce the intensity variation within the tissue images. Third, we deploy a thresholding technique for segmenting the regions of interest. Fourth, we develop a prognosis decision making engine based on a robust clinical prognosis scheme to classify the aggressiveness level using the segmented regions of interest. The performance of the system is evaluated by a pathologist. The system is compared against a state-of-the-Art system, and the results indicate a superiority for our system in grading the tumour with average F-measure 86.77%.
Tang, F, Van Ly, D, Reading, P, Baines, K, Spann, K, Burgess, J, Black, J, Hartl, D & Oliver, B 1970, 'VIRAL SURROGATES AND RESPIRATORY VIRUSES DIFFERENTIALLY ACTIVATE NEUTROPHILS', RESPIROLOGY, WILEY-BLACKWELL, pp. 128-128.
Tang, F, Van Ly, D, Reading, P, Spann, K, Hartl, D, Burgess, JK, Black, JL, Baines, KJ & Oliver, BG 1970, 'Neutrophils Respond To Viral Surrogates And Respiratory Viruses', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, AMER THORACIC SOC.
Tareef, A, Al-Ani, A, Nguyen, HT & Chung, YY 1970, 'A novel tamper detection-recovery and watermarking system for medical image authentication and EPR hiding.', EMBC, International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE, Chicago, USA, pp. 5554-5557.
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© 2014 IEEE. Recently, the literature has witnessed an increasing interest in the study of medical image watermarking and recovery techniques. In this article, a novel image tamper localization and recovery technique for medical image authentication is proposed. The sparse coding of the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and the reshaped region of Interest (ROI) is embedded in the transform domain of the Region of Non-Interest (RONI). The first part of the sparse coded watermark is use for saving the patient information along with the image, whereas the second part is used for authentication purpose. When the watermarked image is tampered during transmission between hospitals and medical clinics, the embedded sparse coded ROI can be extracted to recover the tampered image. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique in term of tamper correction capability, robustness to attacks, and imperceptibility.
Tovey, ER, Liu-Brennan, D, Rimmer, JS & Oliver, BG 1970, 'New methods for measuring the time course of personal exposure to biological particles including aeroallergens', Indoor Air 2014 - 13th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, 13th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, pp. 926-931.
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We present early data on two methods to monitor personal allergen exposure.
Tovey, ER, Stelzer-Braid, S, Toelle, BG, Willenborg, CM, Reddel, HK, Garden, FL, Jaffe, A, Strachan, R, Oliver, BG, Belessis, YC, Marks, GB & Rawlinson, WD 1970, 'Asthma Symptoms and Rhinovirus In A Longitudinal Children's Cohort', Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Annual Meeting of the American-Academy-of-Allergy-Asthma-and-Immunology (AAAAI), Elsevier BV, San Diego, CA, pp. AB285-AB285.
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Tran, Y, Thuraisingham, RA, Wijesuriya, N, Craig, A & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'Using S-transform in EEG analysis for measuring an alert versus mental fatigue state.', EMBC, International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE, Chicago, IL, pp. 5880-5883.
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This paper presents research that investigated the effects of mental fatigue on brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Since EEG signals are considered to be non-stationary, time-frequency analysis has frequently been used for analysis. The S-transform is a time-frequency analysis method and is used in this paper to analyze EEG signals during alert and fatigue states during a driving simulator task. Repeated-measure MANOVA results show significant differences between alert and fatigue states within the alpha (8-13Hz) frequency band. The two sites demonstrating the greatest increases in alpha activity during fatigue were the Cz and P4 sites. The results show that S-transform analysis can be used to distinguish between alert and fatigue states in the EEG and also supports the use of the S-transform for EEG analysis.
Truong, BCQ, Tuan, HD, Fitzgerald, AJ, Wallace, VP & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'High correlation of double Debye model parameters in skin cancer detection', 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), IEEE, Chicago, US, pp. 718-721.
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© 2014 IEEE. The double Debye model can be used to capture the dielectric response of human skin in terahertz regime due to high water content in the tissue. The increased water proportion is widely considered as a biomarker of carcinogenesis, which gives rise of using this model in skin cancer detection. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to provide a specific analysis of the double Debye parameters in terms of non-melanoma skin cancer classification. Pearson correlation is applied to investigate the sensitivity of these parameters and their combinations to the variation in tumor percentage of skin samples. The most sensitive parameters are then assessed by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plot to confirm their potential of classifying tumor from normal skin. Our positive outcomes support further steps to clinical application of terahertz imaging in skin cancer delineation.
Ulapane, N, Alempijevic, A, Vidal-Calleja, T, Miro, JV, Rudd, J & Roubal, M 1970, 'Gaussian process for interpreting pulsed eddy current signals for ferromagnetic pipe profiling', 2014 9th IEEE Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, 2014 IEEE 9th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications (ICIEA), IEEE, Hangzhou, PEOPLES R CHINA, pp. 1762-1767.
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© 2014 IEEE. This paper describes a Gaussian Process based machine learning technique to estimate the remaining volume of cast iron in ageing water pipes. The method utilizes time domain signals produced by a commercially available pulsed Eddy current sensor. Data produced by the sensor are used to train a Gaussian Process model and perform inference of the remaining metal volume. The Gaussian Process model was learned using sensor data obtained from cast iron calibration plates of various thicknesses. Results produced by the Gaussian Process model were validated against the remaining wall thickness acquired using a high resolution laser scanner after the pipes were sandblasted to remove corrosion. The evaluation shows agreement between model outputs and ground truth. The paper concludes by discussing the implications or results and how the proposed method can potentially advance the current technological setup by facilitating real time pipe profiling.
Vidal-Calleja, T, Miro, JV, Martin, F, Lingnau, DC & Russell, DE 1970, 'Automatic detection and verification of pipeline construction features with multi-modal data', 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014), IEEE, Chicago, IL, USA, pp. 3116-3122.
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© 2014 IEEE. Assessment of the condition of underground pipelines is crucial to avoid breakages. Autonomous in-line inspection tools provided with Non-destructive Technology (NDT) sensors to assess large sections of the pipeline are commonly used for these purposes. An example of such sensors based on Eddy currents is the Remote Field Technology (RFT). A crucial step during in-line inspections is the detection of construction features, such as joints and elbows, to accurately locate and size specific defects within pipe sections. This step is often performed manually with the aid of visual data, which results in slow data processing. In this paper, we propose a generic framework to automate the detection and verification of these construction features using both NDT sensor data and visual images. Firstly, supervised learning is used to identify the construction features in the NDT sensor signals. Then, image processing is employed to verify the selection. Results are presented with data from a RFT tool, for which a specialised descriptor has been designed to characterise and classify its signal features. Furthermore, the construction feature is displayed in the image, once it is identified in the RFT data and detected in the visual data. A visual odometry algorithm has been implemented to locate the visual data with respect to the RFT data. About 800 meters of these multi-modal data are evaluated to test the validity of the proposed approach.
Vidal-Calleja, T, Su, D, De Bruijn, F & Miro, JV 1970, 'Learning spatial correlations for Bayesian fusion in pipe thickness mapping', 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE, Hong Kong, pp. 1-8.
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Wang, C, Savkin, AV, Clout, R & Nguyen, HT 1970, 'A method for collision free navigation of a robotic hospital bed among steady and moving obstacles', 2014 IEEE Conference on Control Applications (CCA), 2014 IEEE Conference on Control Applications (CCA), IEEE, Juan Les Antibes, pp. 1058-1063.
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We present a reactive navigation algorithm which ensures the safety of the hospital beds in the dynamic environments. The proposed navigation algorithm allows the hospital beds to avoid en-route obstacles with an efficient easy-to-compute sliding mode obstacle avoidance strategy when an obstacle is nearby, and move towards the target location at maximum speed when there is no threat of collision. We provide extensive computer simulation of the proposed navigation algorithm. More importantly, the experiment results with the designed mobile hospital bed in real world scenarios are also presented.
Warkiani, ME & Gong, HQ 1970, 'Micro-fabricated Membranes with Regular Pores for Efficient Pathogen Removal', IFMBE Proceedings, Springer International Publishing, pp. 424-427.
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© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014. Rapid and accurate detection of pathogenic bacteria in drinking-water systems is a challenging problem. Filtration based concentration techniques have been widely used for isolation and recovery of C. parvum and Giardia (oo)cysts into small volumes for downstream analysis. Micro-fabricated membranes that contain pores with the same size and shape have been shown to be a good choice for efficient pathogen removal. In this study, a robust isoporous membrane was fabricated and validated for concentration and recovery of C. parvum and Giardia (oo)cysts from tap-water according to the EPA standard protocol. Microfiltration results of the isoporous polymeric microfilter revealed that using a simple backflushing procedure, more than 90% of the C. parvum and Giardia (oo)cysts spiked in the tap-water samples can be recovered, showing greater performance than available commercial microfilters. This research demonstrated the potential application of micro-fabricated filters with regular pores for large-scale filtration and monitoring of C. parvum and Giardia (oo)cysts contamination in drinking-water distribution systems.
Warkiani, ME, Tay, AKP, Guan, G & Han, J 1970, 'Next-generation microfilter: Large scale, continuous mammalian cell retention for perfusion bioreactors', 18th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2014, pp. 2474-2476.
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In this study, we report on the development of the first membrane-less, clog-free microfiltration platform for ultra-high throughput (up to 1000 mL/min) cell separation, using a massively-multiplexed array of inertial microfluidic cell sorting channels. Our developed system consists of multiple layer (10∼20) of PDMS sheets with embossed microchannels (i.e., ∼ 200 individual spirals) bonded together for continuous size-based cell sorting from a large volume of biological fluid. Subsequent perfusion culture experiments using the cell retention system show the potential to significantly enhance overall efficiency of perfusion cell culture.
Warkiani, ME, Tay, AKP, Khoo, BL, Xu, X, Lim, CT & Han, J 1970, 'Enabling reliable detection of low abundance malaria parasites from blood using inertial microfluidics', 18th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences, MicroTAS 2014, pp. 1157-1159.
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In this paper, a highly efficient inertial microfluidic device was described to enable the enrichment and purification of malaria parasites from blood, which leads to more reliable and specific PCR-based malaria detection. The device makes use of equilibrium between shear-modulated inertial lift and wall-induced lift forces to remove WBCs, thereby facilitating malaria parasite enrichment. The cascaded system is able to process 1 mL of lysed blood in 15 min, with the WBC depletion efficiency of 99.99% which is higher than any commercially available kit (i.e., CD-45 coated beads) for this purpose. Parasite densities ranging from 103 to 104 P. falciparum parasites per mL (∼ 2 per μL) have been quantified in whole blood using quantitative PCR. Obtained results revealed that the sample preparation using the inertial microfluidic device can significantly enhance the PCR results and make it more reliable by removing most of the unwanted genomic materials and PCR inhibitors.
Wei, W, Yin, J, Li, J & Cao, L 1970, 'Modeling Asymmetry and Tail Dependence among Multiple Variables by Using Partial Regular Vine', Proceedings of the 2014 SIAM International Conference on Data Mining, Proceedings of the 2014 SIAM International Conference on Data Mining, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Philadelphia, USA, pp. 776-784.
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Modeling high-dimensional dependence is widely studied to explore deep relations in multiple variables particularly useful for financial risk assessment. Very often, strong restrictions are applied on a dependence structure by existing high-dimensional dependence models. These restrictions disabled the detection of sophisticated structures such as asymmetry, upper and lower tail dependence between multiple variables. The paper proposes a partial regular vine copula model to relax these restrictions. The new model employs partial correlation to construct the regular vine structure, which is algebraically independent. This model is also able to capture the asymmetric characteristics among multiple variables by using two-parametric copula with flexible lower and upper tail dependence. Our method is tested on a cross-country stock market data set to analyse the asymmetry and tail dependence. The high prediction performance is examined by the Value at Risk, which is a commonly adopted evaluation measure in financial market.
Read More: http://epubs.siam.org/doi/abs/10.1137/1.9781611973440.89
Wong, GY, Leung, FHF, Ling, S-H & IEEE 1970, 'An Under-sampling Method Based on Fuzzy Logic for Large Imbalanced Dataset', 2014 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUZZY SYSTEMS (FUZZ-IEEE), International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, IEEE, Beijing, China, pp. 1248-1252.
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© 2014 IEEE. Large imbalanced datasets have introduced difficulties to classification problems. They cause a high error rate of the minority class samples and a long training time of the classification model. Therefore, re-sampling and data size reduction have become important steps to pre-process the data. In this paper, a sampling strategy over a large imbalanced dataset is proposed, in which the samples of the larger class are selected based on fuzzy logic. To further reduce the data size, the evolutionary computational method of CHC is employed. The evaluation is done by applying a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to train a classification model from the re-sampled training sets. From experimental results, it can be seen that our proposed method improves both the F-measure and AUC. The complexity of the classification model is also compared. It is found that our proposed method is superior to all other compared methods.
Yuwono, M, Su, SW, Moulton, BD, Guo, Y, Nguyen, HT & IEEE 1970, 'An algorithm for scalable clustering: Ensemble Rapid Centroid Estimation', 2014 IEEE CONGRESS ON EVOLUTIONARY COMPUTATION (CEC), IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation, IEEE, Beijing, pp. 1250-1257.
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This paper describes a new algorithm, called Ensemble Rapid Centroid Estimation (ERCE), designed to handle large-scale non-convex cluster optimization tasks, and estimate the number of clusters with quasi-linear complexity. ERCE stems from a recently developed Rapid Centroid Estimation (RCE) algorithm. RCE was originally developed as a lightweight simplification of the Particle Swarm Clustering (PSC) algorithm. RCE retained the quality of PSC, greatly reduced the computational complexity, and increased the stability. However, RCE has certain limitations with respect to complexity, and is unsuitable for non-convex clusters. The new ERCE algorithm presented here addresses these limitations.
Zeng, Q, Ge, Q, Haghi, M, Rimmer, J, Harvey, R, Young, P, Traini, D, Shi, J, Black, J, Burgess, J & Oliver, B 1970, 'Allergen exposed primary human bronchial epithelial cells have inhibited transport of salbutamol sulphate only when functional organic cation tranporters are present', EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL, EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY SOC JOURNALS LTD.
Zeng, QX, Haghi, M, Rimmer, J, Black, J, Shi, J, Oliver, BG & Ge, Q 1970, 'An Investigation Into Salbutamol Sulfate Dry Powder Transport Across Calu-3 And Differentiated Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells', AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE, AMER THORACIC SOC.
