Within-class multimodal classification

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In many real-world classification problems there exist multiple subclasses (or clusters) within a class; in other words, the underlying data distribution is...     

Environmental factors and kinetics of microbial degradation of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) in an aqueous medium

Environmental factors such as oxygen, temperature, and microbial species may have significant effects on decomposition of biodegradable polymers. A representative biodegradable, thermoplastic polymer, poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), was decomposed in an aqueous medium under controlled laboratory conditions by soil microbes for the intrinsic degradation kinetics and the effects of the environmental factors on polymer biodegradation. The amount of proteins, including the PHBV depolymerases, that attached to the polymer surfaces was quite constant during the period of significant mass loss of the polymer specimens. The microbial polymer degradation followed a zero‐order rate model, so the residual mass fraction of PHBV films declined linearly with time. The mixed aerobic microbial organisms from fertile soil showed a higher activity of polymer degradation than an aerobic PHBV‐producing bacterium and the mixed anaerobes in the same soil. The mixed anaerobic microorganisms from barren soil decomposed the polymer at a slower rate than the anaerobes from fertile soil, and this was attributed to fewer microbial cells in the barren soil instead of the difference in the microbial species. The temperature effect on PHBV degradation can be described with an Arrhenius equation, and the activation energy is around 16 kcal/mol. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 87: 205–213, 2003     

Clinical study in epidural injection with lappaconitine compound for post-operative analgesia

In this study, the effect and side-effect of epidural injection with lappaconitine compound for post-operative analgesia was observed. One hundred and twenty patients were randomly divided into 4 groups. Lappaconitine compound (LB) consisted of 12 mg of lappaconitine and 22.5 mg of bupivacaine, was given to group A (the group of observation), and lappaconitine 12 mg, bupivacaine 22.5 mg and morphine 2 mg to group B, C and D respectively for control. All were given by epidural injection with single blind method during post-operative pain of incision operation. Result showed that the initiating of analgesia was quicker in group A and C than that in group B and D, and the efficacy was group D > A > C > B. There was significant difference between group A and B in the above two parameters, P < 0.01 and P < 0.05. The analgisia maintenence time of single injection was D > A > B > C, that of group D was significantly longer than that of group A (P < 0.01). It indicated that the epidural injection with LB was more rapid and potent than that with lappaconitine alone in post-operative analgesia, and the former had no side-effect, it was safer than morphine.     

A linkage map of human chromosome 21:43 PCR markers at average intervals of 2.5 cM

A genetic linkage map of human chromosome 21q (HC21q) containing 43 markers genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction in the CEPH pedigrees is presented. The markers placed on this map are highly polymorphic with an average heterozygosity of 61%. The average interval size of the markers localized at 1000:1 odds is 2.5 cM. The map has a total length of 65.5 cM, with male and female lengths of 47.7 and 83.3 cM, respectively. The genotypes used in the construction of this map were subjected to rigorous error checking, which is reflected in the shorter map length compared to previous maps; the estimated error rate in genotyping is less than 0.04%. As noted in previous linkage maps there is increased recombination in females on proximal HC 21q and in the male in a region near the telomere. This map of HC 21 represents a highly informative and dense meiotic linkage map and will be useful in linking disease phenotypes to loci on this chromosome.     

Collision Detection and Multitone Tree Search for Multiple-Access Protocols on Radio Channels

The carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA-CD) protocol cannot be applied directly to radio channels because of the difficulty in sensing remote carrier in the presence of local transmission. Only recently, a new protocol called the CSMA with timesplit collision detection (CSMA-TCD) was introduced to overcome this problem on radio channels. This paper presents an extension of the CSMA-TCD protocol, called CSMA-TCD with multitone tree search (CSMA-TCD-MTTS). In CSMA-TCD, a preamble is transmitted before data transmission. For CSMA-TCD-MTTS, the preamble is modulated with one out ofNtones. In case of a collision, a resolution algorithm splits the terminals involved into anN-degree tree according to the tone chosen. This paper presents the throughput and approximate delay analysis of the CSMA-TCD-MTTS protocol.     

Motor fluency deficits in the sequencing of actions in schizophrenia.

Many everyday activities depend on the capacity to organize and smoothly execute motor sequences. The authors tested the hypothesis that a sequencing deficit is associated with schizophrenia. They used a new method to distinguish between lower and higher order mechanisms for the impairment. The 1st task involved triggered sequences in which sensory information from 1 movement was the cue for initiation of the following movement. Results showed that the motor sequences were performed as fluently in patients as in controls. The 2nd and 3rd tasks involved sequences in which the entire movement sequence could be preplanned. Patients executed the sequences less fluently than controls but only under the condition where action sequences were required. Furthermore, the patients' fluency deficit increased with sequence complexity. The high discrimination power of Task 3 gave the authors a means to control for a potential psychometric confound involving differential discriminating power and to argue in favor of a specific higher order motor fluency deficit in patients with schizophrenia. It is suggested that basic lower order mechanisms that integrate sensory information with outgoing motor commands are preserved in schizophrenia, whereas higher order integrative mechanisms that are required for the smooth coordination of motor sequences are impaired. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Apparent first-order kinetics in the transformation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in groundwater following a transient release

A transient release of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) to an otherwise uncontaminated aquifer at a manufacturing facility presented a useful opportunity to validate the results of previous laboratory and field studies on TCA transformation in groundwater. Abiotic TCA transformation to 1,1-dichloroethylene (DCE) and acetic acid at the site exhibited first-order kinetics with half-life of 2.9 years 15 degrees C. Degradation effects were seen to overwhelm chemical retardation effects on the DCE/TCA concentration ratio in groundwater. The kinetic data was sufficient to date the release to within one week of when it actually occurred. A kinetic approach may be applicable to dating the releases on other contaminated sites where a single transient release is indicated. The transformation of dissolved TCA in groundwater with a half-life of several years can be expected at many contaminated sites.