Resolving the phase ambiguities for coherent demodulation of π/4-DEQPSK

In recovering the carrier signal for coherent demodulation of π/ 4-DEQPSK), there is an inherent phase ambiguity which may significantly degrade the system performance. The paper proposes a simple and novel technique to resolve this problem, i.e., to rotate the received signal vectors alternately by -π/4 before phase-error estimation in the carrier-recovery loop. The proposed technique incorporated with carrier-recovery loops is studied by computer simulation. A surprisingly good performance is achieved.published_or_final_versionThe 3rd European Conference on Satellite Communications (ECSC-3), Manchester, UK., 2-4 November 1993. In IEE Conference Proceedings, 1993, v. 381, p. 150-15

The macrophage in the pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection

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Evaluating the prognostic factors associated with cancer-specific survival of differentiated thyroid carcinoma presenting with distant metastasis

BACKGROUND: Because patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) presenting with distant metastasis (DM) have a particularly poor prognosis, examining the prognostic factors in this group is essential. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic factors affecting cancer-specific survival (CSS) in DTC patients presenting with DM. METHODS: Of the 1227 DTC patients, 51 (4.2 %) presented with DM at diagnosis. All patients underwent a total thyroidectomy, followed by radioiodine (RAI) ablation and postablation whole body scan (WBS). Patients were considered to have an osseous metastasis if one of the metastatic sites involved a bone, while RAI avidity was determined by any visual uptake in a known metastatic site on the first WBS. Factors predictive of CSS were determined by univariate and multivariate analyses by the Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, older age (relative risk [RR] 1.050, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.010-1.091, P = 0.014), DM discovered before WBS (RR 3.401, 95 % CI 1.127-10.309, P = 0.030), follicular thyroid carcinoma (RR 3.095, 95 % CI 1.168-8.205, P = 0.025), osseous metastasis (RR 4.695, 95 % CI 1.379-15.873, P = 0.013), non-RAI avidity (RR 3.355, 95 % CI 1.280-8.772, P = 0.014), and external beam radiotherapy to DM (RR 3.241, 95 % CI 1.093-9.614, P = 0.034) were significant poor prognostic factors for CSS. In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for other factors, osseous metastasis (RR 6.849, 95 % CI 1.495-31.250, P = 0.013) and non-RAI avidity (RR 7.752, 95 % CI 2.198-27.027, P = 0.001) were the two independent poor prognostic factors for CSS. Older age almost reached statistically significance (RR 1.055, 95 % CI 0.996-1.117, P = 0.068). CONCLUSIONS: DTC patients presenting with DM accounted for 4.2 % of all patients. Because osseous metastasis and RAI avidity were independent prognostic factors, future therapy should be directed at improving the treatment efficacy of osseous and/or non-RAI-avid metastases.published_or_final_versio

Density estimates on composite polynomials

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Role of cyclooxygenase-2 in H5N1 viral pathogenesis and the potential use of its inhibitors

1. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), along with TNF-α and other proinflammatory cytokines, was hyperinduced in H5N1- infected macrophages in vitro and in epithelial cells of autopsied lung tissues of infected patients. 2. The COX-2 mediated amplification of the proinflammatory response is rapid, and the effects elicited by the H5N1-triggered proinflammatory cascade are broader than those arising from direct viral infection. 3. Selective COX-2 inhibitors suppress the H5N1- hyperinduced cytokines in the proinflammatory cascade.published_or_final_versio

A prospective, assessor-blind evaluation of surgeon-performed transcutaneous laryngeal ultrasonography in vocal cord examination before and after thyroidectomy

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Early diagnosis of primary human herpesvirus 6 infection in childhood: Serology, polymerase chain reaction, and virus load

Qualitative and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) DNA in whole blood and plasma was correlated with serology and clinical assessment in 143 children hospitalized for undifferentiated febrile illness to evaluate options for diagnosis of primary HHV-6 infection on the acute blood specimen. PCR and serology for HHV-7 were done in parallel to define serologic cross-reactions. Using HHV-6 seroconversion as the reference standard, detection of HHV-6 DNA in whole blood in the absence of antibody in the plasma was the most reliable evidence of primary HHV-6 infection. Detection of HHV-6 DNA in plasma and a high virus load in whole blood (>3.3 log 10 copies/5 μL) had a sensitivity of 90% and 100%, respectively, in diagnosing primary HHV-6 infection. However, both were occasionally found in patients with other infections, possibly associated with HHV-6 reactivation. Maternal antibody may confound interpretation of serology in patients under 3 months of age.published_or_final_versio

Analysis of switching dc-dc converters using a grid-point approach

Author name used in this publication: P. K. S. TamAuthor name used in this publication: F. H. F. LeungVersion of RecordPublishe

Plasma renin activity and aldosterone level in patients with essential hypertension

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