Low-complexity wavelet filter design for image compression

Image compression algorithms based on the wavelet transform are an increasingly attractive and flexible alternative to other algorithms based on block orthogonal transforms. While the design of orthogonal wavelet filters has been studied in significant depth, the design of nonorthogonal wavelet filters, such as linear-phase (LP) filters, has not yet reached that point. Of particular interest are wavelet transforms with low complexity at the encoder. In this article, we present known and new parameterizations of the two families of LP perfect reconstruction (PR) filters. The first family is that of all PR LP filters with finite impulse response (FIR), with equal complexity at the encoder and decoder. The second family is one of LP PR filters, which are FIR at the encoder and infinite impulse response (IIR) at the decoder, i.e., with controllable encoder complexity. These parameterizations are used to optimize the subband/wavelet transform coding gain, as defined for nonorthogonal wavelet transforms. Optimal LP wavelet filters are given for low levels of encoder complexity, as well as their corresponding integer approximations, to allow for applications limited to using integer arithmetic. These optimal LP filters yield larger coding gains than orthogonal filters with an equivalent complexity. The parameterizations described in this article can be used for the optimization of any other appropriate objective function

Subjective impact of osteoarthritis flare-ups on patients' quality of life

BACKGROUND: Clinical trials on osteoarthritis (OA) flare-ups treatment usually focus only on objective measures of health status, albeit recent literature suggestions on the importance of patients' subjectivity. Aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of OA and of its different types of medical treatment(s) on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in terms of both subjective satisfaction and functional status. METHODS: An observational study on prospective data collected from the Evaluation of Quality of life in OA (EQuO) clinical trial (April 1999-November 2000) was conducted; outpatients from 70 participating centers (Orthopedy or Rheumatology Departments in Italy) with a diagnosis of OA of the hip or knee were consecutively enrolled. Patients were observed at OA flare-ups (baseline) and at follow up 4 weeks after treatment. Patients' objective and subjective HRQoL were assessed by means of the SF-36 and the Satisfaction Profile (SAT-P, which focuses on subjective satisfaction); Present Pain at baseline and Pain Relief at follow up were also evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 1323 patients, 1138 (86%) were prescribed one drug/treatment of osteoarthritis, 169 (13%) 2 drugs/treatments, and 16 (1%) 3 drugs/treatments; most of treatments involved the prescription of NSAIDs; non-coxib, COX2 selective NSAIDs were prescribed in about 50% of patients. Follow-up visits were performed after 29.0 days on average (± 7.69 SD). For all SF-36 domains, all SAT-P items and factors, the differences between baseline and follow up scores resulted statistically significant (p < 0.001), enlighting an improvement both in health status and in subjective HRQoL. CONCLUSION: Besides the classic health status measures, the assessment of patients' subjective satisfaction provides important clues on treatments efficacy of OA within the patient-centered medicine model. In clinical practice this could lead to a better doctor-patient communication and to higher levels of treatment adherence

USE OF IFMIS IN BUDGETARY CONTROLS AND FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN WESTERN KENYA

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the use of IFMIS in budgetary controls on the financial accountability of county Governments in Western Kenya. The study adopted a correlational research design. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. The study target population was 1110 county staff comprising Cabinet executive officers, IFMIS directors, finance staff, revenue officers, and planning and procurement staff. Simple random sampling was used to select 294 respondents. Reliability was tested through Cronbach Alpha, validity was tested through expert analysis and principal component factor analysis. SPSS was used to analyze descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics consisted of frequencies. Inferential statistics consisted of Binary logistic regression analysis. Cox &amp; Snell R Square was established as 0.699. Wald statistic was significant with p values of 0.19. Correlation analysis showed r = of 0.814. The binary logistic regression coefficient was β = 2.049, p-value .019 and Exp (β)= 7.76 for budgetary controls. It was recommended that the implementation of IFMIS should be strengthened and regularly reviewed to identify loopholes that still exist that reduce effectiveness. This would improve fiscal discipline by a very high percentage as shown by the odds ratio of budgetary controls which is greater than one. The government should enforce the use of IFMIS in budgetary controls. This will lead to minimal budget variance and budget deficits. Better ways that can make IFMIS adhered to in budgeting should therefore be enforced this will improve financial accountability as evidenced by the odd ratio of budgetary controls.JEL: G21; G29; G38  Article visualizations

Psychology in Cardiac Rehabilitation: where all problems emerge and should be solved

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Gut construction: scaffolds for intestinal tissue engineering

Forming tissues in the laboratory to replace diseased or dysfunctional tissue or act as models for drug treatment is the goal of tissue engineering. The large intestine epithelium (colon surface) is a tissue which could benefit from both diseased and non-diseased models for the purpose of tackling colon cancer causes and treatments. Scaffolds (cell supports) are a pivotal part in many tissue engineering strategies. This thesis describes the design and production of two separate scaffolds based on the degradable polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). The first was a two dimensional scaffold to mimic the intestinal basement membrane which was modified with an oxygen plasma. The changes to the surface due to plasma and the degradation properties of the scaffold were extensively studied with SEM, XPS, AFM and GPC. The data showed that the oxygen plasma induced surface porosity and associated changes to surface roughness. The surface chemistry as detected by XPS was unchanged by both plasma treatment and degradation in buffered solution. The plasma treatment did lead to a dramatic loss in molecular weight but the degradation profile of both the untreated and etched films was similar. Extensive cell studies with SEM, live/dead, alamarBlue and Hoechst DNA assays showed that intestinal cells on the plasma treated scaffold was enhanced in terms of morphology, metabolic activity and proliferation. Finally, a two dimensional co-culture model using epithelial and myofibroblasts cell lines on the modified PLGA scaffold was achieved. The second scaffold was a three dimensional scaffold bearing the crypt like architecture of the colon. An accurate mould produced through electron beam lithography using dimensions measured from mouse histological sections. PLGA particles were used to fill the mould and sintered to produce the scaffold. A unique cell seeding approach using cell sheets was used. The cell sheets were produced on plasma polymers of acrylic acid and the discharge power was shown to affect surface wettability, chemistry and cell viability. The cell sheet approach proved to enhance cell attachment to the scaffold compared to individual cell seeding. Finally, a bilayer scaffold with model protein to mimic Wnt protein presence in the lower half of the crypt was studied with ToF-SIMS

In-depth proteomics identifies a role for autophagy in controlling reactive oxygen species mediated endothelial permeability

Endothelial cells (ECs) form the inner layer of blood vessels and physically separate the blood from the surrounding tissue. To support tissues with nutrients and oxygen, the endothelial monolayer is semipermeable. When EC permeability is altered, blood vessels are not functional, and this is associated with disease. A comprehensive knowledge of the mechanisms regulating EC permeability is key in developing strategies to target this mechanism in pathologies. Here we have used an in vitro model of human umbilical vein endothelial cells mimicking the formation of a physiologically permeable vessel and performed time-resolved in-depth molecular profiling using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture mass spectrometry (MS)-proteomics. Autophagy is induced when ECs are assembled into a physiologically permeable monolayer. By using siRNA and drug treatment to block autophagy in combination with functional assays and MS proteomics, we show that ECs require autophagy flux to maintain intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, and this is required to maintain the physiological permeability of the cells

Investigation of E-cadherin dynamics in cancer cell adhesion and metastasis

E-cadherin is a cell adhesion protein required for epithelial tissue integrity. In many cancer cells mis-regulation of E-cadherin adhesions causes increased progression and invasion of cancer. Alteration in E-cadherin dynamics could therefore serve as an early molecular biomarker of metastasis. In this project, I used E-cadherin FRAP to asses real time dynamics of cadherin junctions in a pancreatic cancer mice model of in a variety of micro-environments. My data showed that p53 mutation drives metastasis through mobilizing E-cadherin in junctions. Also, I used FRAP as a pharmaco-dynamic marker to assess the effect of an anti-invasive drug (dasatinib) in pancreatic tumours in vivo. Moreover, my E-cadherin FRAP data along with cross-linking experiments and disruption of E-cadherin interactions by mutation provided a comprehensive framework for understanding E-cadherin dynamics at cell-cell. Here, I have identified four distinct populations of E-cadherin within regions of cell-cell contact and characterized the interactions governing their mobility using FRAP. These pancreatic cancer cells had the immobile fraction (Fi) of E-cadherin-GFP comprised adhesive and non-adhesive populations. The remaining mobile fraction (Fm) also comprised of non-adhesive and adhesive populations, one population moves at the rate of pure diffusion, and therefore represents free E-cadherin monomers. The other population moves more slowly, and represents E-cadherin monomers turning over within immobile complexes. Inclusion of E-cadherin into either adhesive population requires cis-, trans-, and actin interactions. The signaling pathways in cells dramatically affect the fractions of these cadherin components. I showed that understanding the dynamics of these four populations of E-cadherins could be used to design or interpretation of future pharmacological and genetic experiments to probe the function of E-cadherin in development, disease progression, and response to therapy

e-Distance in Menger PGM Spaces with an Application

The main purpose of the present paper is to define the concept of an e-distance (as a generalization of r-distance) on a Menger PGM space and to introduce some of its properties. Moreover, some coupled fixed point results, in terms of this distance on a complete PGM space, are proved. To support our definitions and main results, several examples and an application are considered.The authors are very grateful to the Basque Government by its support through Grant IT1207-19

Generalized Hyers-Ulam-Rassias Theorem in Menger Probabilistic Normed Spaces

We introduce two reasonable versions of approximately additive functions in a Šerstnev probabilistic normed space endowed with Π triangle function. More precisely, we show under some suitable conditions that an approximately additive function can be approximated by an additive mapping in above mentioned spaces