Object Detection in RGB-D Images via Anchor Box with Multi-Reduced Region Proposal Network and Multi-Pooling

Journal of Signal Processing Systems - With the latest development of automation technology, object detection technology has received more and more research attention. Automated object detection...     

Assessing stem cell research productivity

Honour Index (HoI), a method to evaluate research performance within different research fields, was derived from the impact factor (IF). It can be used to rate and compare different categories of journals. HoI was used in this study to determine the scientific productivity of stem cell research in the Asian Four Dragons (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan) from 1981 to 2001. The methodology applied in this study represents a synthesis of universal indicator studies and bibliometric analyses of subfields at the micro-level. We discuss several comparisons, and conclude the developmental trend in stem cell research for two decades. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phosphorus‐containing polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes with high flame retardance arising from a phosphorus–silicon synergistic effect

Polyaryloxydiphenylsilanes were prepared from phosphorus‐containing diols and diphenydichlorolsilane through solution polymerization. With a stoichiometric imbalance in feed monomers, the resulting polymers exhibited moderate melting points and good processing properties. The polymers prepared showed initial decomposition temperatures above 340 °C, excellent thermal stability, high char yields at 850 °C and very high limited oxygen index values of 56–59. The polymers' char yields and their (P + Si) contents showed linear relationships. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Analysis of surface layers on bioactive glasses

FT-Raman spectroscopy proves to be a powerful technique to study surface reactions on bioactive glasses and it eliminates the fluorescence of the organic phase of whole bone, thereby making it possible to compare the reaction layers formed on bioactive glasses with the mineral phase of bone. The spectrum of hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) developed on the bioactive glasses is closer to that of bone than synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) and closely matches that of bone mineral obtained by deproteination of whole human femoral cortical bone.     

Biofeedback improves functional outcome after sphincteroplasty

Pax genes are expressed in specific patterns in the nervous system during development and in the adult. Recent findings suggest a link between the expression of Pax-2 and axonal guidance. Mice with a targeted deletion of Pax-2 are an excellent tool for studying axonal pathfinding at the molecular level, especially with respect to the optic chiasm. The date reviewed here suggest that Pax-2 regulates the expression of surface molecules involved in contact attraction and that the mutual regulation of the expression of Pax-2 and the Sonic hedgehog gene is of importance in the formation of the chiasm region.     

Hemodynamic response to in situ latissimus dorsi muscle stimulation: implications in dynamic cardiomyoplasty

Dynamic cardiomyoplasty (DCM) involves the electrical stimulation of a pedicled latissimus dorsi muscle flap wrapped around the falling ventricle as a means of cardiac assist. To further elucidate a potential neurohumoral mechanism for improvement of cardiac output after myoplasty, we evaluated the hemodynamic effects of in situ stimulation of the latissimus dorsi muscle (in the absence of cardiomyoplasty). In seven mongrel dogs, a nerve cuff electrode (Medtronic 6901) was placed around the left thoracodorsal nerve (TDN). This was attached to a pulse generator (Medtronic, Itrel 7420), delivering a 4.0 volt, 0.19 second on, 0.81 second off, 33 Hz, 210 microsecond pulse width, cyclic bursts similar to that used in DCM. Stroke volume index (SVI) and other hemodynamic parameters as well as plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels were measured at five stages: baseline, stimulator on at 0, 2, and 5 minutes, and stimulator off at 30 minutes after. The animals were then subjected to 4 weeks of rapid pacing at 240 beats/min (Medtronic 8329) to induce heart failure, and as the rapid pacing was discontinued, measurements were repeated as above. After rapid pacing, cardiac function was significantly depressed, and NE was elevated (133 +/- 69 versus 500 +/- 353 pg/mL, p < 0.05). In the normal hearts, TDN stimulation increased SVI, heart rate, systemic pressure, and NE levels. In heart failure, however, no significant changes in cardiac function and NE levels were noted. In conclusion, our data indicate that in the normal hearts, afferent impulses from TDN stimulation alone may augment cardiac function by means of a neurohumoral effect that is not seen in severe heart failure. The implications of these findings in DCM are discussed.     

National Institutes of Health support for research and training: future of pediatrician scientists

Agrobacterium tumefaciens transfers part of its Ti plasmid, the T-DNA, to plant cells during tumorigenesis. It is routinely used for the genetic modification of a wide range of plant species. We report that A. tumefaciens can also transfer its T-DNA efficiently to the filamentous fungus Aspergillus awamori, demonstrating DNA transfer between a prokaryote and a filamentous fungus. We transformed both protoplasts and conidia with frequencies that were improved up to 600-fold as compared with conventional techniques for transformation of A. awamori protoplasts. The majority of the A. awamori transformants contained a single T-DNA copy randomly integrated at a chromosomal locus. The T-DNA integrated into the A. awamori genome in a manner similar to that described for plants. We also transformed a variety of other filamentous fungi, including Aspergillus niger, Fusarium venenatum, Trichoderma reesei, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Neurospora crassa, and the mushroom Agaricus bisporus, demonstrating that transformation using A. tumefaciens is generally applicable to filamentous fungi.     

Tumor necrosis factor alpha interferes with the cell cycle of normal and papillomavirus-immortalized human keratinocytes

We have shown that normal and human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 immortalized human foreskin keratinocytes are growth inhibited by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), whereas HPV-18- and SV40-immortalized keratinocytes are resistant to this cytokine (1). In this report, we investigated the expression of mitotic regulatory proteins, such as cyclin A, cyclin B, and p34cdc2. After exposure to TNF-alpha, normal and HPV-16-immortalized cells exhibited a dramatic decrease in the expression of these proteins. In contrast, no alteration in the levels of these proteins was observed after treatment of the resistant cell lines, as well as two HPV-positive cervical carcinoma cell lines. Expression of cyclin E does not seem to be modulated by TNF-alpha in any of the cells tested. On the other hand, cyclin D1, expression is slightly increased in normal keratinocytes and in the HPV-16-immortalized cells, whereas no alteration was observed in the HPV-18-transfected cells. The phosphorylation state of pRb correlated with cell growth; sensitive cells, which accumulate in G0-G1, after exposure to TNF-alpha, exhibited an accumulation of hypophosphorylated pRb, whereas no effect on pRb phosphorylation was observed for HPV-18-immortalized cells. These results clearly correlate with TNF-alpha-induced growth arrest in G0-G1.