Lossless subband coding system based on rounding transform

We propose a new rounding transform called the overlapping rounding transform (ORT). It is defined as a two-port input/two-port output FIR filtering system with a pair of rounding operations. The ORT is applied to develop lossless subband coding systems. The ORT approach has both a simpler representation and more possibilities for lossless subband implementation than the lifting scheme     

The transjugular stent implantation for the treatment of malignant portal and hepatic vein obstruction in cancer patients

BACKGROUND: The increase in portal vascular resistance is a significant complication of metastatic disease to the liver or locally advanced cancer, e.g., biliary cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This paper describes the successful palliative treatment of two cancer patients with portal hypertension presenting with the symptoms of tense ascites, mesenteric congestion, and severe variceal bleeding. By creating a stenttract between a hepatic vein and a main branch of the portal vein and/or by placing an extendable stent into the portal vein, the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stent-shunt (TIPS) technique was used to decompress the portovascular system. RESULTS: The TIPS-technique offers a new, safe and effective palliation for malignant portal hypertension. In both patients, the symptoms of the portal hypertension disappeared after the procedure. This was accompanied by a significant improvement of the patients performance status allowing an early ambulation. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the TIPS procedure as a minimal invasive treatment for portal vein decompression in selected tumor patients.     

Evidence for production and functional activity of nitric oxide in seminiferous tubules and blood vessels of the human testis

Previous studies have demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) influences Leydig cell function. Here we provide evidence for NO production and activity in seminiferous tubules and blood vessels of the human testis. By immunohistochemistry, the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), the intracellular NO receptor, and the second messenger, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), were detected in myofibroblasts of the peritubular lamina propria in Sertoli cells, as well as in endothelial and smooth muscle cells of testicular blood vessels. Performed with isolated tubules and blood vessels, the biological activity of sGC could be proved by cGMP generation in response to treatments with the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside. The endothelial and neuronal subtypes of NO synthase (NOS) were localized immunohistochemically to the same cell types that express sGC and cGMP. In isolated tubules and vessels, the presence of endothelial NOS and neuronal NOS was confirmed by immunoblotting, and NOS activity was demonstrated by decreased cGMP production upon incubation with the NOS inhibitor L-nitro arginine methylester. These findings show that peritubular cells, Sertoli cells, and testicular blood vessels may be sites of NO production and activity, possibly involved in relaxation of seminiferous tubules and blood vessels to modulate sperm transport and testicular blood flow, respectively.     

Circadian rhythms have no effect on cycling performance

The aim of this research was to determine if circadian rhythms have an effect on time trial cycling performance of 15 min duration. Seven males (Mean+/-SD): age, 22.3+/-4.9 yr; height 179.0+/-7.9 cm, body mass 74.5+/-15.5 kg; VO2max 68.0+/-5.7 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) who were all competitive cyclists or triathletes with previous experience in laboratory testing procedures volunteered to participate in this study. Each of the seven subjects underwent a series of four tests; one VO2 max test, and three 15 min maximal performance tests, at varying times during a 24 hr period. Testing times were at 08.00-10.00; 14.00-16.00 and 20.00-22.00 hours. Heart rate was recorded during the last 10-15 seconds of each minute and blood lactate levels were taken at 5 and 10 min during exercise and again immediately post-exercise. O2 consumption was measured continuously using open circuit spirometry. RPE was measured using the Borg scale at 5 and 10 min during, and again immediately following the completion of testing. Resting oral temperature was the only variable to show a significant time of day effect (p<0.05). Oral temperature during the afternoon was higher than both morning and evening results by 0.76 degrees C and 0.09 degrees C respectively. Total work (kJ) and average power output (W) were recorded at their highest during the morning session and reached a trough during the afternoon session, but these differences were not significant (p = 0.9997 and 0.9972 respectively). The results obtained in this study indicate that while certain biological rhythms are present, they appear to have no effect on this type of cycling performance. Although athletic performance may be enhanced by training programs that are compatible with an individuals body clock, the ability to perform and train at various times has an adaptive response which appears to over-ride these naturally inherent rhythms.     

The contribution of epidemiology to psychosomatic medicine

The G1 glycoprotein of California encephalitis (CE) virus plays a critical role in the infection of mosquito and mammalian cells. We found that CE virus enters baby hamster kidney (BHK-21) and Aedes albopictus (C6/36) cells by the endocytic pathway. Ammonium chloride, a lysosomotropic amine that prevents release of virus from endosomes, inhibited infection of both cell types when added within 10 min after viral adsorption. In addition, infected cells formed polykaryons when the extracellular pH was lowered to 6.3; optimal fusion occurred at pH 5.8 and 6.0 (C6/36 and BHK-21 cells, respectively). Two neutralizing G1 MAba, 6D5.5 and 7D4.5, inhibited low pH-induced syncytia formation without affecting viral attachment, suggesting a role for G1 in viral entry. Since viral fusion proteins have been demonstrated to undergo conformational changes at low pH, acid-induced changes in G1 and G2 were assessed. While both G1 and G2 demonstrated low pH-induced alterations in detergent binding, only G1 displayed an altered protease cleavage pattern at the fusion pH. These results indicate that the G1 protein of CE virus undergoes conformational changes necessary for low pH-mediated entry into both mosquito and mammalian cells.     

Inference, inquiry, evidence censorship, and explanation inconnectionist expert systems

The combination of the techniques of expert systems and neural networks has the potential of producing more powerful systems, for example, expert systems able to learn from experience. In this paper, we address the combinatorial neural model (CNM), a kind of fuzzy neural network able to accommodate in a simple framework the highly desirable property of incremental learning, as well as the usual capabilities of expert systems. We show how an interval-based representation for membership grades makes CNM capable of reasoning with several types of uncertainty: vagueness, ignorance, and relevance commonly found in practical applications. In addition, we show how basic functions of expert systems such as inference, inquiry, censorship of input information, and explanation may be implemented. We also report experimental results of the application of CNM to the problem of deforestation monitoring of the Amazon region using satellite images     

Goodpasture syndrome involving overlap with Wegener's granulomatosis and anti-glomerular basement membrane disease

A 68-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the hospital with nodular pulmonary infiltrates and acute renal failure. Wegener's granulomatosis was initially considered to be most likely because of the presence of increased serum levels of c-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (c-ANCA). A consultation through the Internet after a renal biopsy demonstrated crescentic, necrotizing glomerulonephritis and linear deposits of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and complement C3, typical of anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease. Hemodialysis was instituted; however, the patient suddenly developed a massive cerebral hemorrhage and died before full therapy could take effect. Postmortem analysis of the patient's sera revealed high titers of IgG against the alpha 3 NC1 domain of type IV collagen. Serologic evidence of both p-ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies are becoming more frequently recognized in the setting of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. The patient reported here had the unusual combination of c-ANCA antibodies with anti-GBM disease, and this association raises complex questions regarding the pathogenesis of this type of renal injury.     

Major internal nuclear matrix proteins are common to different human cell types

Cancer invasion and metastasis are associated with matrix degradation. We describe a novel in vivo model of invasion by squamous epithelial neoplastic cells derived from transgenic mice grown on acellular human dermis. Human dermis was subjected to multiple freeze-thaw cycles to render it acellular, maintaining the basement membrane of the former dermal-epidermal junction. Cells representing discrete stages of a multistep transgenic mouse model of epidermal carcinogenesis (neonatal transgenic keratinocytes, moderately/poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, and lymph node metastasis) were seeded onto the basement membrane surface, grown in culture for 4 days, grafted in a subpannicular pocket of athymic mice, and harvested after 3 weeks. Histological analysis demonstrated that neonatal transgenic keratinocytes did not degrade the basement membrane or invade the underlying dermis. In contrast, malignant cells derived from both a moderately differentiated squamous carcinoma and a lymph node metastasis were highly invasive. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed collagenase only in nests of invading malignant cells in contact with the dermal matrix, but not in the tumor mass remaining above the basement membrane, suggesting that this proteinase may be required for stromal invasion. This novel model recapitulates the events seen in malignant invasion: transgenic keratinocytes are unable to penetrate the dermis while cells from a moderately differentiated carcinoma and from lymph node metastasis consistently invade.     

Simplified modeling of transients in gain-clamped erbium-dopedfiber amplifiers

A simple technique for modeling transients in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) has been applied to a gain-clamped amplifier. Integration of the variables along the length of the amplifier allows the formulation of the problem as a single simple, ordinary, time-dependent differential equation. We demonstrate examples for a typical conventional EDFA and one in which internal out-of-band oscillation is used to clamp the gain