Automated detection of fovea in fundus images based on vessel-free zone and adaptive Gaussian template

This study developed a computerised method for fovea centre detection in fundus images. In the method, the centre of the optic disc was localised first by the template matching method, the disc–fovea axis (a line connecting the optic disc centre and the fovea) was then determined by searching the vessel-free region, and finally the fovea centre was detected by matching the fovea template around the centre of the axis. Adaptive Gaussian templates were used to localise the centres of the optic disc and fovea for the images with different resolutions. The proposed method was evaluated using three publicly available databases (DIARETDB0, DIARETDB1 and MESSIDOR), which consisted of a total of 1419 fundus images with different resolutions. The proposed method obtained the fovea detection accuracies of 93.1%, 92.1% and 97.8% for the DIARETDB0, DIARETDB1 and MESSIDOR databases, respectively. The overall accuracy of the proposed method was 97.0% in this study.     

Magnetic resonance images of neuronal migration anomalies

Neuronal migration anomalies are a spectrum of brain malformations caused by insults to migrating neuroblasts during the sixth week to fifth month of gestation. To study the characteristics of MRI findings in migration anomalies, MR images of 36 patients (28 children and 8 adults) with migration anomalies were evaluated. Five patients had lissencephaly, eight had pachygyria, twelve had schizencephaly, six had heterotopias of gray matter, three had hemimegalencephaly, and two had polymicrogyria. The frequency of migration anomalies was 0.51% of all cranial MRI studies and 1.21% of pediatric cranial MRI studies at our hospital. The major clinical presentations of these patients were seizure (64%), development delay (42%), motor deficits (42%) and mental retardation (25%). Twenty-five patients (69%) associated with other brain anomalies, including: other migration anomalies in 12 cases (33%), absence of the septum pellucidum in 10 cases (28%), Dandy-Walker malformation/variant in 5 cases, arachnoid cyst in 4 cases, agenesis of the corpus callosum in 3 cases, holoprosencephaly in 2 cases, mega cisterna magna in 1 case and cephalocele in 1 case. Some of them presented with multiple complicated anomalies. As MR imaging provides superb gray-white matter distinction, details of cortical anatomy and multiplanar capability, it can clearly delineate the detail morphologic changes of the brain caused by neuronal migration disorders as well as the associated anomalies.     

The Homothorax homeoprotein activates the nuclear localization of another homeoprotein, extradenticle, and suppresses eye development in Drosophila

The Extradenticle (Exd) protein in Drosophila acts as a cofactor to homeotic proteins. Its nuclear localization is regulated. We report the cloning of the Drosophila homothorax (hth) gene, a homolog of the mouse Meis1 proto-oncogene that has a homeobox related to that of exd. Comparison with Meis1 finds two regions of high homology: a novel MH domain and the homeodomain. In imaginal discs, hth expression coincides with nuclear Exd. hth and exd also have virtually identical, mutant clonal phenotypes in adults. These results suggest that hth and exd function in the same pathway. We show that hth acts upstream of exd and is required and sufficient for Exd protein nuclear localization. We also show that hth and exd are both negative regulators of eye development; their mutant clones caused ectopic eye formation. Targeted expression of hth, but not of exd, in the eye disc abolished eye development completely. We suggest that hth acts with exd to delimit the eye field and prevent inappropriate eye development.     

Chronic treatments with 5-HT1A agonists attenuate posthypoxic myoclonus in rats

Following 10 min cardiac arrest and resuscitation, male Sprague-Dawley rats developed posthypoxic myoclonus. This phenomenon peaked at 14 days and disappeared by 60 days after cardiac arrest. From previous results, the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) system was implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of 5-HT1A receptors in posthypoxic myoclonus in rats. Single injections of 5-HT1A agonists, buspirone (5 and 10 mg/kg body wt.) or 8-OH-DPAT (1, 2, and 4 mg/kg), had no effect on either the intensity or time course of the disease. In contrast, multiple injections (twice a day for 7 or more days) of buspirone (10 mg/kg) or 8-OH-DPAT (4 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the myoclonus scores of animals (p < 0.05). The results indicate that chronic stimulation of 5-HT1A receptors in the brain may accelerate endogenous compensatory mechanisms and shorten the time course of the disease.     

Behavior state analysis and seismic performance evaluation of a tall masonry building in the Loma Prieta earthquake

A behaviour state analysis is performed on a ten story concrete masonry building that was located in the City of Santz Cruz, which is in the epicentral region of the Loma Prieta earthquake. The building has three types of shear walls (L, T and rectangular) and the behavior state analysis described in the paper first characterizes the expected load deflection response and ductility of each of these shear walls. Then a building system model is developed from these component shear walls models and the load deflection behavior is quantified. This expected load verses deflection behavior of the building is then used to comment on the observed response of the building.     

Effects of viscosity‐pressure dependency on the non‐Newtonian squeeze film of parallel circular plates

On the basis of the Barus experimental research, the viscosity of an incompressible lubricant grows exponentially with its pressure. Therefore, the squeeze film issues between parallel circular plates lubricated with a non‐Newtonian couple‐stress fluid are reexamined in the present study by considering the effects of viscosity‐pressure dependency. According to the results, the influences of viscosity‐pressure dependency raise the load capacity and lengthen the approaching time of the plates. Numerical results under different values of the viscosity parameter and the non‐Newtonian parameter are also provided in tables for engineering applications. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Near-Wall Turbulence Modeling Using Fractal Dimensions

To introduce the intermittency effects of the energy cascade process into turbulence modeling, a new fractal turbulence scale based on k, ε, ν, and the fractal dimension of turbulence dissipation D, with D = 2.7, is introduced, and a fractal scale, low Reynolds number turbulence model is proposed. The proposed turbulence model is first examined in detail by predicting a two-dimensional channel flow, and then applied to predict a backward-facing step flow. Numerical results are compared with the direct numerical simulation budgets, experimental data, and the model results of Chien, and Lam and Bremhorst, respectively. It is found that the fractal scale model indeed predicts better results for both of the flows considered.     

Growing ledge structures of AlN crystals in a Fe–Mn–Al–C alloy

The Fe–30.4Mn–8.7Al–1.0C (wt.%) alloy was nitridized at 1000 °C. The AlN formed into a Widmanstätten side-plate shape. The side-plate of the AlN is parallel to the basal plane of the HCP crystal. There are three possible growing riser planes; namely ()_AlN, ()_AlN, and ()_AlN planes. The angle for growing riser planes met on the (0 0 0 1) terraces is 120°.     

Complex modal properties of coupled moderately light equipment-structure systems

There are many practical problems in which the damping matrix cannot be represented in a classical form, thus leading to complex mode shapes and frequencies. A modal superposition method making use of the complex mode shapes is presented. In the method a complex mode shape is replaced by two real modal vectors. The modal equations are integrated in the same fashion as in the classically damped systems, except we now also use the modal velocities in addition to the usual modal displacements. It is shown that the modal superposition method for the nonclassically damped system gives response values almost identical to those given by the direct integration method. A method of constructing the damping matrix for a coupled primary and secondary system is also presented.     

Synthesis of organic–inorganic hybrid polymeric nanocomposites for the hard coat application

An organic–inorganic hybrid polymeric nanocomposite has been synthesized for making UV‐curable hard coats. This nanocomposite consists of nano‐sized colloidal silica functionalized with vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) and dendritic acrylic oligomers (DAO) which have been formed earlier via a reaction of ethylenediamine (EDA) with trimethylopropane triacrylate (TMPTA). Applied as a hard coat on top of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, this nanocomposite has a short UV‐cure time and the cured coat has an enhanced thermal decomposition temperature (T_d), 89–90% transparency, increased hardness up to 3H, better adhesion up to 4B, and a flat surface with a root mean square roughness of 2–4 nm. The preparation as well as the characterization of the constituting species and the final hybrid are described in detail. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3985–3993, 2007