Classification of 1H MR spectra of biopsies from untreated and recurrent ovarian cancer using linear discriminant analysis

Proton (1H) magnetic resonance (MR) spectra of ex vivo biopsy samples of ovarian cancers provided biochemical information that was used to discriminate cancer from normal ovarian tissue. Possible differences present in intrinsically resistant tumors or changes in biochemistry after the induction of resistance were identified. Using multivariate techniques, in particular linear discriminant analysis (LDA), ovarian cancer was distinguished from normal ovarian tissue with a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 95% and an accuracy of 98%. Moreover, LDA was able to distinguish untreated ovarian cancer from recurrent ovarian cancer with a sensitivity of 92%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 97%; removal of the single "fuzzy" specimen increased the accuracy to 100%. Applications of this knowledge to in vivo measurements could lead to noninvasive diagnosis of ovarian cancer.     

Highly purified agar for virological, immunochemical and microbiological research

A new effective method for the preparation of highly purified agar for microbiological, virological and immunochemical investigations has been obtained and the technology for its production has been developed. The study revealed that the physico-chemical characteristics of newly obtained highly purified agar are much better than those of microbiological agar currently produced in Russia and not inferior to those of the best kinds of agar produced by Difco (USA), Serva and Ferak (Germany). The method of purification is protected by an author's certificate. The production of this agar for medical purposes has been permitted. The manufacturing plant "Medbioagar", created under the auspices of the Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has now started the serial production of highly purified agar under the name "Primagar". Further increase of the production of the preparation will facilitate its introduction into laboratory practice with the use of modern research methods in the fields of microbiology and virology, molecular biology and genetics, immunology and biochemistry.     

Laser‐Textured Metal Substrates as Photoanodes for Enhanced PEC Water Splitting Reactions

We demonstrate the effect of femtosecond laser structuring of titanium substrates to increase the absorption, photoconversion, and overall photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC) performance compared to pristine metal substrates, independent of any additional top coat layers. The influence of ultra short laser pulse patterning on PEC efficiency is investigated toward spectroscopic (UV‐Vis), microscopic (SEM), crystallographic (XRD), and compositional (XPS) properties. The beneficial effect of a periodically patterned substrate is attributed to enhanced specific surface area and improved in‐plane light trapping when compared to flat surfaces. Photoanodes for water splitting experiments fabricated by titanium and iron oxide films on laser pre‐patterned Ti substrates are also found to show enhanced PEC efficiency (0.057 mA cm^?2) when compared to unpatterened substrates (0.028 mA cm^?2). The lower absolute PEC efficiencies are due to extreme thin films.

     

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy: use in monitoring MELAS treatment

BACKGROUND: Sodium dichloroacetate has been used to treat patients with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and strokelike episodes (MELAS). Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has been used to assess cerebral metabolism in MELAS, but to our knowledge, the findings of serial MRS studies performed after therapeutic intervention of strokelike episodes have not been reported. METHODS: Proton MRS was serially used to measure brain metabolites in strokelike regions and in clinically uninvolved brain regions in a patient with MELAS. PATIENT: A patient with MELAS and a strokelike episode clinically improved after treatment with sodium dichloroacetate. An elevated lactate-creatine ratio in the "stroke" region decreased on MRS studies after treatment. After a second episode, the lactate-creatine ratio increased from baseline in a region of the brain that was normal on magnetic resonance imaging scans. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess the response to treatment of a MELAS strokelike episode and the first to show an increase in the lactate-creatine ratio in a brain region that was associated with a clinical abnormality, even though it appeared normal on magnetic resonance imaging. We conclude that MRS may help to monitor therapeutic efficacy in mitochondrial encephalomyopathies.     

Mathematical models of Haemophilus influenzae type b

Electron microscopic anterograde autoradiography has been used to analyze the morphology and postsynaptic relationships of area 17 cortical terminals in the lateral division of the lateral posterior nucleus (LPl) of the cat and medial division of the inferior pulvinar nucleus (IPm) of the owl monkey. Such terminals are thought to arise exclusively from layer 5 in the cat and primate (Lund et al. [1975] J. Comp. Neurol. 164:287-304; Abramson and Chalupa [1985] Neuroscience 15:81-95). All labeled terminals in both nuclei exhibited the morphology of ascending "lemniscal" afferents. That is, they contained round vesicles, were large, made asymmetrical synaptic and filamentous nonsynaptic contacts, and were classified as RLs. These cortical RLs also exhibited the postsynaptic relationships of lemniscal afferents. Thus, they were presynaptic to large dendrites within glial encapsulated glomeruli, where a majority was involved in complex synaptic arrangements called triads. They also were found adjacent to terminal profiles with pleomorphic vesicles but never adjacent to small terminals containing round vesicles. Our results suggest that the layer 5 projection from area 17 provides a functional "drive" for some LPl and IPm neurons. Information carried over this "re-entrant" pathway (Guillery [1995] J. Anat. 187:583-592) could be modified within the LPl and IPm by both cortical and subcortical pathways and subsequently conveyed to higher visual cortical areas, where it could be integrated with messages carried through the well-documented corticocortical pathways (Casagrande and Kaas [1994] Cerebral cortex New York: Plenum Press).     

Identification, assessment and management of food-related microbiological hazards: historical, fundamental and psycho-social essentials

Microbiological risk assessment aimed at devising measures of hazard management, should take into account all perceived hazards, including those not empirically identified. It should also recognise that safety cannot be "inspected into" a food. Rather hazard management should be the product of intervention strategies in accordance with the approach made mandatory in the EU Directive 93/43 and the USDA FSIS Pathogen Reduction HACCP system; Final Rule. It is essential too that the inherent variability of the biological attributes affecting food safety is recognised in any risk assessment. The above strategic principles may be conceptualised as a four-step sequence, involving (i) identification and quantification of hazards; (ii) design and codification of longitudinally integrated ("holistic") technological processes and procedures to eliminate, or control growth and metabolism of, pathogenic and toxinogenic organisms; (iii) elaboration of microbiological analytical standard operating procedures, permitting validation of "due diligence" or responsible care, i.e. adherence to adopted intervention strategies. This should be supported by empirically assessed reference ranges, particularly for marker organisms, while the term "zero tolerance" is refined throughout to tolerable safety limit; (iv) when called for, the need to address concerns arising from lay perceptions of risk which may lack scientific foundation. In relation to infectious and toxic hazards in the practical context the following general models for quantitative holistic risk assessment are presented: (i) the first order, basic lethality model; (ii) a second approximation taking into account the amount of food ingested in a given period of time; (iii) a further adjustment accounting for changes in colonization levels during storage and distribution of food commodities and the effects of these on proliferation of pathogens and toxin production by bacteria and moulds. Guidelines are provided to address: (i) unsubstantiated consumer concern over the wholesomeness of foods processed by an innovative procedure; and (ii) reluctance of small food businesses to adopt novel strategies in food safety. Progress here calls for close cooperation with behavioural scientists to ensure that investment in developing measures to contain risk deliver real benefit.     

Navier-Stokes analysis of vortex flow over a cropped delta wing

Summary The vortex flow over a 65° cropped delta wing with round leading edge, atM =0.85 and Re=2.38×10⁶, has been analyzed for 10°, 20°, and 30° angles of attack. A vertex based finite volume code, JUMBO3D, with an algebraic turbulence model has been used to solve the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations. An H–O type grid generated by a hybrid elliptic-algebraic method has been used here, and a significant improvement of the results over an O–O type grid has been obtained. The results are compared with available experimental data. The complex physical phenomena due to interactions among the primary, secondary, and tertiary vortices, cross-flow and terminating shocks, and turbulent boundary layer, as visualized from the numerical solutions obtained are presented and discussed here.     

On the performance and cost-effectiveness of semiautomated Papanicolaou smear screening

The very rare case of leiomyoma sarcomatosum was presented and differentiated to "bizzare" leiomyoma at 39 years old woman, who was conservative preoperation diagnosis of uterine myoma. To get the after-operation prognosis the following elements of tumour have been studied: mitotic index, presence and type of necrosis, separation of the tumour and perivascular infiltration. A decision of conservative treatment was confirmed by shown world wide literature.     

Restricted affine motion compensation and estimation in video coding with particle filtering and importance sampling: a multi-resolution approach

In this paper, we propose a multi-resolution affine block-based tracker for motion estimation and compensation, compatible with existing video coding standards such as H.264 and HEVC. We propose three modifications to traditional motion compensation techniques in video coding standards such as H.264 and HEVC. First, we replace traditional search methods with an efficient particle filtering-based method, which incorporates information from both spatial and temporal continuity. Second, we use a higher order linear model in place of the traditional translation motion model in these standards to efficiently represent complex motions such as rotation and zoom. Third, we propose a multi-resolution framework that enables efficient parameter estimation. Results of extensive experimentation show reduced residual energy and better Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR, hereafter) as compared to H.264/HEVC for instance, especially in regions of complex motion such as zooming and rotation.     

INSAT-3D and MODIS retrieved sea surface temperature validation and assessment over waters surrounding the Indian subcontinent

The INSAT-3D imager (4 km) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on-board Aqua and Terra space-platforms level-2 (1 km) sea surface temperature (SST_skin) product accuracy has been analysed over waters surrounding the Indian subcontinent by indirect comparison method using collocated bulk in-situ measurements (SST_depth) for 3 years (October 2013–October 2016). Statistical results show that root mean square error of all the three satellites is in range of around 0.60–0.70°C. Retrieval error is found to be slightly more in case of validation against iQuam data set. INSAT-3D is showing more underestimation with bias ranging from about ?0.16°C to ?0.20°C than MODIS sensor having bias in range of about 0.06°C to ?0.12°C. All the three missions are slightly underestimating over open-ocean with bias ranging in 0–0.17°C. INSAT-3D is significantly underestimating in-situ observations over the Arabian Sea (approximate bias = 0.27°C). Seasonal validation analysis reveals relatively high retrieval error during monsoon season than pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. MODIS sensor is showing significant underestimation during monsoon with bias ranging from approximately ?0.29°C to ?0.58°C. Overall, all the three missions are performing similarly well over the study area.