Efficient rotation- and scale-invariant texture analysis

Author name used in this publication: Kin-Man Lam2010-2011 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Indium tin oxide nanowires growth by dc sputtering

Indium tin oxide nanowires have been grown by dc sputtering on different substrates without the use of catalysts or oblique deposition. The nanowire length was of the order of several μm, while their diameter was ∼50- 100 nm. Small side branches on the nanowires were frequently observed. The nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The growth mechanism of the nanowires is discussed. © Springer-Verlag 2011.published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Clinical features, management, and prognostic factors of status epilepticus in Chinese

Poster PresentationINTRODUCTION: Status epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency with significant mortality and morbidity. There are currently limited data regarding the causes and outcomes of SE in our locality, and identification of prognostic factors, especially those available at presentation, could lower risk of under- or over-treatment in SE. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the clinical characteristics, management, and clinical outcome of adults diagnosed with incident SE, excluding episodes due to cerebral anoxia, at a regional hospi…published_or_final_versio

"A Free thenar flap – A case report"

We present a case report of a free thenar flap surgery done for a volar right hand middle finger, distal and middle phalanx degloving injury. A free thenar flap is a fasciocutaneous sensate flap supplied by a constant branch of the superficial radial artery and its variable nerve supply. It has a distinct advantage of low donor site morbidity, better cosmesis and texture of the flap. No immobilization is required postop. The donor site can be closed primiarily

Characterization and source apportionment of atmospheric organic and elemental carbon during fall and winter of 2003 in Xi'an, China

Author name used in this publication: Lee, S. C.2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Schizophrenia-associated HapICE haplotype is associated with increased NRG1 type III expression and high nucleotide diversity

Excitement and controversy have followed neuregulin (NRG1) since its discovery as a putative schizophrenia susceptibility gene; however, the mechanism of action of the associated risk haplotype (HapICE) has not been identified, and specific genetic variations, which may increase risk to schizophrenia have remained elusive. Using a postmortem brain cohort from 37 schizophrenia cases and 37 controls, we resequenced upstream of the type I–IV promoters, and the HapICE repeat regions in intron 1. Relative abundance of seven NRG1 mRNA transcripts in the prefrontal cortex were determined and compared across diagnostic and genotypic groups. We identified 26 novel DNA variants and showed an increased novel variant load in cases compared with controls (χ2=7.815; P=0.05). The average nucleotide diversity (θ=10.0 × 10−4) was approximately twofold higher than that previously reported for BDNF, indicating that NRG1 may be particularly prone to genetic change. A greater nucleotide diversity was observed in the HapICE linkage disequilibrium block in schizophrenia cases (θ(case)=13.2 × 10−4; θ(control)=10.0 × 10−4). The specific HapICE risk haplotype was associated with increased type III mRNA (F=3.76, P=0.028), which in turn, was correlated with an earlier age of onset (r=−0.343, P=0.038). We found a novel intronic five-SNP haplotype ∼730 kb upstream of the type I promoter and determined that this region functions as transcriptional enhancer that is suppressed by SRY. We propose that the HapICE risk haplotype increases expression of the most brain-abundant form of NRG1, which in turn, elicits an earlier clinical presentation, thus providing a novel mechanism through which this genetic association may increase risk of schizophrenia

Evaluation of cell-free DNA approaches for multi-cancer early detection

In the Circulating Cell-free Genome Atlas (NCT02889978) substudy 1, we evaluate several approaches for a circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA)-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test by defining clinical limit of detection (LOD) based on circulating tumor allele fraction (cTAF), enabling performance comparisons. Among 10 machine-learning classifiers trained on the same samples and independently validated, when evaluated at 98% specificity, those using whole-genome (WG) methylation, single nucleotide variants with paired white blood cell background removal, and combined scores from classifiers evaluated in this study show the highest cancer signal detection sensitivities. Compared with clinical stage and tumor type, cTAF is a more significant predictor of classifier performance and may more closely reflect tumor biology. Clinical LODs mirror relative sensitivities for all approaches. The WG methylation feature best predicts cancer signal origin. WG methylation is the most promising technology for MCED and informs development of a targeted methylation MCED test

Modelling the impact and cost-effectiveness of the HIV intervention programme amongst commercial sex workers in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

BACKGROUND: Ahmedabad is an industrial city in Gujarat, India. In 2003, the HIV prevalence among commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Ahmedabad reached 13.0%. In response, the Jyoti Sangh HIV prevention programme for CSWs was initiated, which involves outreach, peer education, condom distribution, and free STD clinics. Two surveys were performed among CSWs in 1999 and 2003. This study estimates the cost-effectiveness of the Jyoti Sangh HIV prevention programme. METHODS: A dynamic mathematical model was used with survey and intervention-specific data from Ahmedabad to estimate the HIV impact of the Jyoti Sangh project for the 51 months between the two CSW surveys. Uncertainty analysis was used to obtain different model fits to the HIV/STI epidemiological data, producing a range for the HIV impact of the project. Financial and economic costs of the intervention were estimated from the providers perspective for the same time period. The cost per HIV-infection averted was estimated. RESULTS: Over 51 months, projections suggest that the intervention averted 624 and 5,131 HIV cases among the CSWs and their clients, respectively. This equates to a 54% and 51% decrease in the HIV infections that would have occurred among the CSWs and clients without the intervention. In the absence of intervention, the model predicts that the HIV prevalence amongst the CSWs in 2003 would have been 26%, almost twice that with the intervention. Cost per HIV infection averted, excluding and including peer educator economic costs, was USD 59 and USD 98 respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that targeted CSW interventions in India can be cost-effective, and highlights the importance of replicating this effort in other similar settings.Published versio