Mean-shape vector quantizer for ECG signal compression

A direct waveform mean-shape vector quantization (MSVQ) is proposed here as an alternative for electrocardiographic (ECG) signal compression. In this method, the mean values for short ECG signal segments are quantized as scalars and compression of the single-lead ECG by average beat substraction and residual differencing their waveshapes coded through a vector quantizer. An entropy encoder is applied to both, mean and vector codes, to further increase compression without degrading the quality of the reconstructed signals. In this paper, the fundamentals of MSVQ are discussed, along with various parameters specifications such as duration of signal segments, the wordlength of the mean-value quantization and the size of the vector codebook. The method is assessed through percent-residual-difference measures on reconstructed signals, whereas its computational complexity is analyzed considering its real-time implementation. As a result, MSVQ has been found to be an efficient compression method, leading to high compression ratios (CR's) while maintaining a low level of waveform distortion and, consequently, preserving the main clinically interesting features of the ECG signals. CR's in excess of 39 have been achieved, yielding low data rates of about 140 bps. This compression factor makes this technique especially attractive in the area of ambulatory monitoring.     

Biological response of broiler chickens fed peas (Pisum sativum L.) expressing the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) α‐amylase inhibitor transgene

The nutritive value of transgenic peas expressing an α‐amylase inhibitor (α‐Ai1) was evaluated with broiler chickens. The effects of feeding transgenic peas on the development of visceral organs associated with digestion and nutrient absorption were also examined. The chemical composition of the conventional and the transgenic peas used in this study were similar. In the two feeding trials, that were conducted normal and transgenic peas were incorporated into a maize–soybean diet at concentrations up to 500 g kg^?1. The diets were balanced to contain similar levels of apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and amino acids. In the first trial, the birds were fed the diets from 3 to 17 days post‐hatching and with levels of transgenic peas at 250 g kg^?1 or greater there was a significant reduction in body weight but an increase in feed intake resulting in deceased feed conversion efficiency. In the second trial, in which the birds were fed diets containing 300 g kg^?1 transgenic peas until 40 days of age, growth performance was significantly reduced. It was also demonstrated that the ileal starch digestibility coefficient (0.80 vs 0.42) was significantly reduced in the birds fed transgenic peas. Determination of AME and ileal digestibility of amino acids in 5‐week‐old broilers demonstrated a significant reduction in AME (12.12 vs 5.08 MJ kg^?1 DM) in the birds fed the transgenic peas. The AME value recorded for transgenic peas reflected the lower starch digestibility of this line. Ileal digestion of protein and amino acids was unaffected by treatment. Expression of α‐Ai1 in peas did not appear to affect bird health or the utilisation of dietary protein. However, the significant reduction in ileal digestion of starch in transgenic peas does reduce the utility of this feedstuff in monogastric diets where efficient energy utilisation is required. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of solution conformations in C4-V3 hybrid peptides derived from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 gp120: relation to specificity of peptide-induced anti-HIV neutralizing antibodies

Immunogenic peptides containing epitopes of the gp120 C4 and V3 regions from human immunodeficiency virus strains MN and EV91 have been studied by nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular modeling and used as immunogens in rhesus monkeys. The results, combined with those for other peptides, suggest a correlation between solution conformation and immunologic cross-reactivity.     

Isoenzyme analysis of Arthrobotrys, a nematode-trapping fungus

Extraction and isoenzyme analysis of four isolates of Arthrobotrys including A. musiformis, A. robusta and A. conoides were conducted. Among the 14 enzymes studied by starch gel electrophoresis, using morpholine-citrate as gel/electrode buffer, the following nine enzymes showed interpretable banding patterns: alpha-esterase, fumarase, hexokinase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, leucine aminopeptidase, malate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucomutase and phosphoglucoisomerase. All isolates studied displayed typical isoenzyme phenotypes for each species. Two isolates of A. conoides differed in their alpha-isoesterase banding patterns, but no differences were observed for the other enzymes. The assay was satisfactory for enzyme extraction and resolution of Arthrobotrys and could be used in future taxonomic and genetic studies of this organism.     

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) induces N-terminal proteolytic cleavage of cyclin A

Progression through the cell cycle is regulated in part by the sequential activation and inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Many signals arrest the cell cycle through inhibition of CDKs by CDK inhibitors (CKIs). p27(Kip1) (p27) was first identified as a CKI that binds and inhibits cyclin A/CDK2 and cyclin E/CDK2 complexes in G1. Here we report that p27 has an additional property, the ability to induce a proteolytic activity that cleaves cyclin A, yielding a truncated cyclin A lacking the mitotic destruction box. Other CKIs (p15(Ink4b), p16(Ink4a), p21(Cip1), and p57(Kip2)) do not induce cleavage of cyclin A; other cyclins (cyclin B, D1, and E) are not cleaved by the p27-induced protease activity. The C-terminal half of p27, which is dispensable for its kinase inhibitory activity, is required to induce cleavage. Mechanistically, p27 does not appear to cause cleavage through direct interaction with cyclin/CDK complexes. Instead, it activates a latent protease that, once activated, does not require the continuing presence of p27. Mutation of cyclin A at R70 or R71, residues at or very close to the cleavage site, blocks cleavage. Noncleavable mutants are still recognized by the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome pathway responsible for ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of mitotic cyclins, indicating that the p27-induced cleavage of cyclin A is part of a separate pathway. We refer to this protease as Tsap (pTwenty-seven- activated protease).