Image compression in digital mammography: effects on computerized detection of subtle microcalcifications

Our previous receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study indicated that the detection accuracy of microcalcifications by radiologists is significantly reduced if mammograms are digitized at 0.1 mm x 0.1 mm. Our recent study also showed that detection accuracy by computer decreases as the pixel size increases from 0.035 mm x 0.035 mm. It is evident that very large matrix sizes have to be used for digitizing mammograms in order to preserve the information in the image. Efficient compression techniques will be needed to facilitate communication and archiving of digital mammograms. In this study, we evaluated two compression techniques: full frame discrete cosine transform (DCT) with entropy coding and Laplacian pyramid hierarchical coding (LPHC). The dependence of their efficiency on the compression parameters was investigated. The techniques were compared in terms of the trade-off between the bit rate and the detection accuracy of subtle microcalcifications by an automated detection algorithm. The mean-square errors in the reconstructed images were determined and the visual quality of the error images was examined. It was found that with the LPHC method, the highest compression ratio achieved without a significant degradation in the detectability was 3.6:1. The full frame DCT method with entropy coding provided a higher compression efficiency of 9.6:1 at comparable detection accuracy. The mean-square errors did not correlate with the detection accuracy of the microcalcifications. This study demonstrated the importance of determining the quality of the decompressed images by the specific requirements of the task for which the decompressed images are to be used. Further investigation is needed for selection of optimal compression technique for digital mammograms.     

传输线衰减常数与柱形谐振器Q值的关系

文中严格地讨论了任意截面形状，任意模式的柱形谐振腔Ｑ值与构成该谐振器的传输线衰减常数间的关系，给出了更一般的公式，推广了Ｄａｖｉｄｓｏｎ和Ｓｉｍ－ｍｏｎｄｓ＾［１］、Ｂａｒｌｏｗ和Ｃｕｌｌｅｎ＾［２］以及Ｙｅｈ和Ｓｈｉｍａｂｕｋｕｒｏ＾［３，４］的结果。     

Growth And Industrial Organisation

The bicycle industry is an interesting case where East Asian firms have made a considerable impact, but where Taiwan has outperformed Korea. In the Korean sector, none of the well-known chaebol such as Samsung have become involved, and the incumbent firms experienced slow growth until there was government intervention in the 1980s. In Taiwan, small dynamic firms responded to large export orders in the early 1970s, and established a lasting lead which has been regenerated through technological upgrading. The paper argues that both countries’ bicycle industries have a vertically non-integrated structure, with extensive internal sub-contracting, and that the differences between the countries can be attributed to the timing and effcacy of industrial policy interventions.     

Endothelin-1 concentrations and optimisation of arterial oxygenation and venous admixture by selective pulmonary artery infusion of prostaglandin E1 during thoracotomy

PURPOSE: To demonstrate a superselective intraarterial chemotherapy as a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of previously treated recurrent lymph node metastases in breast cancer. METHODS: 14 patients with recurrent lymph node metastases in cases of breast cancer were presented to be treated by intraarterial chemotherapy of 25 mg mitoxantrone/m2 over a period of 24 hours. In two patients with superclavicular lymph node involvement an intraarterial therapy could not be carried out because of a vascular connection to the anterior spinal artery. Involved lymph stations could be reached in superselective technique by side branches of the subclavian artery. Heparin coverage was given intravenously. Every patient had had surgery, radiation, systemic chemo- and hormonal therapy before and was now graded as inoperable. Therapy indication was given by local tumour-induced symptoms. RESULTS: In the 12 treated cases complete remission was seen in three, partial remission in 4, a steady state in two and a progressive disease in three. There were no complications or severe side effects. CONCLUSION: Intraarterial chemotherapy is an effective and well tolerated treatment in recurrent lymph node metastases in cases of breast cancer even if conventional therapies can no longer be used.     

Plasma immersion ion implantation for SOI synthesis: SIMOX and ion-cut

We have demonstrated feasibility to form silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates using plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) for both separation by implantation of oxygen and ion-cut. This high throughput technique can substantially lower the high cost of SOI substrates due to the simpler implanter design as well as ease of maintenance. For separation by plasma implantation of oxygen wafers, secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis and cross-sectional transmission electron micrographs show continuous buried oxide formation under a single-crystal silicon overlayer with sharp Si/SiO₂ interfaces after oxygen plasma implantation and high-temperature (1300°C) annealing. Ion-cut SOI wafer fabrication technique is implemented for the first time using PIII. The hydrogen plasma can be optimized so that only one ion species is dominant in concentration and there are minimal effects by other residual ions on the ion-cut process. The physical mechanism of hydrogen induced silicon surface layer cleavage has been investigated. An ideal gas law model of the microcavity internal pressure combined with a two-dimensional finite element fracture mechanics model is used to approximate the fracture driving force which is sufficient to overcome the silicon fracture resistance.     

淀积条件对GDa—SiNx薄膜电学特性的影响

本文讨论了用辉光放电法制备氮化硅薄膜时衬底温度、射频功率和气体流量比对薄膜的电导率、介电常数和击穿强度的影响。通过优化生长条件，制备了优质非晶氮化硅薄膜，其介电常数为７．５、击穿强度为５．５ＭＶ／ｃｍ、电导率为１０－１３（Ωｃｍ）－１。     

极尖断面为折线的四极透镜磁性能研究

对传统双曲线极尖的四极透镜进行了磁性能分析。在此基础上，提出了极尖断面为折线的四极透镜结构。磁场的数值分析以及测量结果表明：该结构产生的场梯度均匀，且具有磁场集中、磁场梯度高、便于加工和安装的对称性控制等优点。该结构的四极透镜已用于ＣＹＣＩＡＥ－３０回旋加速器和ＨＩ－１３串列加速器束流输运线之中     

Effects of substrate temperature and texturing on the magnetic properties and crystallographic structures of CoCrTa/Cr thin film

Bi-layer CoCrTa/Cr films were deposited on textured aluminium or textured NiP-plated aluminium substrate by d.c. magnetron sputtering. The crystal anisotropy and thereby magnetic properties depending on substrate material, substrate temperature and texturing, were investigated. The magnetic crystal anisotropy induced by the mechanical texture on aluminium or NiP/Al substrates along the texture lines for the film deposited at high temperature, were clearly observed, while the film deposited at low temperature shows less prominent anisotropic behaviour. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates a change in the preferred orientation of the chromium and CoCrTa films sputtered on different substrates at different temperatures. It was found that a high substrate temperature was beneficial to the formation of Cr(002) and therefore epitaxial growth of Co(11¯20) on Cr(002) for either aluminium or NiP/Al substrates.     

Hash function based on block cipher

A new 2m-bit iterated hash function based on an m-bit block cipher with a 2m-bit key is presented. The results of security analysis show that the hash function can be expected to have ideal computational security against the five attacks when the underlying cipher is assumed to have no weakness     

Temperature Dependence of Ultra-Low-Frequency Dielectric Relaxation of Barium Titanate Ceramic

Based on a linear voltage ramp method, ultraslow dielectric relaxation of undoped BaTiO₃ ceramic has been carefully measured over the temperature range between − 180° and +120°C. Temperature dependence of the dielectric constant in the frequency range from 10 ⁻⁵ to 10⁻¹ Hz can be obtained using Kramers–Kronig equations. Close to the Curie temperature, the dielectric constant increases so rapidly that the Curie peak is overwhelmed. Two kinds of relaxation processes were observed in this experiment. Ferroelectric domain and mobile charge are proposed to be responsible for the relaxation over the temperature range. With temperature increasing, Maxwell–Wagner relaxation associated with mobile charge gradually dominates. From relaxation time constants at various temperatures, relaxation activation energies about 0.06 and 0.09 eV are identified.