VCL@FER– baza slika za procjenu kvalitete slike

Original scientific paper In this paper we present new image quality database VCL@FER (http://www.vcl.fer.hr/quality/) which consists of four degradation types, 6 levels of each degradation and 23 different images (552 degraded images). It can be used in objective image quality evaluation, as well as to develop and test new image quality measures. Results for six commonly used full reference objective quality measures are compared using newly developed image database, as well as 6 other image databases.VCL@FER baza slika nova je baza slika (http://www.vcl.fer.hr/quality/) koja se sastoji od 4 vrste izobličenja, 6 razina svakog izobličenja i 23 različite slike (ukupno 552 izobličene slike). Baza slika može se koristiti za usporedbu različitih objektivnih mjera kvalitete slike, kao i za razvoj novih objektivnih mjera. Uporabom nove baze te još šest dostupnih baza slika provedena je usporedba šest relevantnih objektivnih mjere kvalitete slike

Tissue Microenvironments Define and Get Reinforced by Macrophage Phenotypes in Homeostasis or during Inflammation, Repair and Fibrosis

Current macrophage phenotype classifications are based on distinct in vitro culture conditions that do not adequately mirror complex tissue environments. In vivo monocyte progenitors populate all tissues for immune surveillance which supports the maintenance of homeostasis as well as regaining homeostasis after injury. Here we propose to classify macrophage phenotypes according to prototypical tissue environments, e.g. as they occur during homeostasis as well as during the different phases of (dermal) wound healing. In tissue necrosis and/or infection, damage- and/or pathogen-associated molecular patterns induce proinflammatory macrophages by Toll-like receptors or inflammasomes. Such classically activated macrophages contribute to further tissue inflammation and damage. Apoptotic cells and antiinflammatory cytokines dominate in postinflammatory tissues which induce macrophages to produce more antiinflammatory mediators. Similarly, tumor-associated macrophages also confer immunosuppression in tumor stroma. Insufficient parenchymal healing despite abundant growth factors pushes macrophages to gain a profibrotic phenotype and promote fibrocyte recruitment which both enforce tissue scarring. Ischemic scars are largely devoid of cytokines and growth factors so that fibrolytic macrophages that predominantly secrete proteases digest the excess extracellular matrix. Together, macrophages stabilize their surrounding tissue microenvironments by adapting different phenotypes as feed-forward mechanisms to maintain tissue homeostasis or regain it following injury. Furthermore, macrophage heterogeneity in healthy or injured tissues mirrors spatial and temporal differences in microenvironments during the various stages of tissue injury and repair. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels BK and IK1 Are Functionally Expressed in Human Gliomas but Do Not Regulate Cell Proliferation

Gliomas are morbid brain tumors that are extremely resistant to available chemotherapy and radiology treatments. Some studies have suggested that calcium-activated potassium channels contribute to the high proliferative potential of tumor cells, including gliomas. However, other publications demonstrated no role for these channels or even assigned them antitumorogenic properties. In this work we characterized the expression and functional contribution to proliferation of Ca2+-activated K+ channels in human glioblastoma cells. Quantitative RT-PCR detected transcripts for the big conductance (BK), intermediate conductance (IK1), and small conductance (SK2) K+ channels in two glioblastoma-derived cell lines and a surgical sample of glioblastoma multiforme. Functional expression of BK and IK1 in U251 and U87 glioma cell lines and primary glioma cultures was verified using whole-cell electrophysiological recordings. Inhibitors of BK (paxilline and penitrem A) and IK1 channels (clotrimazole and TRAM-34) reduced U251 and U87 proliferation in an additive fashion, while the selective blocker of SK channels UCL1848 had no effect. However, the antiproliferative properties of BK and IK1 inhibitors were seen at concentrations that were higher than those necessary to inhibit channel activity. To verify specificity of pharmacological agents, we downregulated BK and IK1 channels in U251 cells using gene-specific siRNAs. Although siRNA knockdowns caused strong reductions in the BK and IK1 current densities, neither single nor double gene silencing significantly affected rates of proliferation. Taken together, these results suggest that Ca2+-activated K+ channels do not play a critical role in proliferation of glioma cells and that the effects of pharmacological inhibitors occur through their off-target actions

Generalização de modelos digitais de terreno com base em transformada wavelet

Os sistemas de laser scanner permitem a obtenção de modelos digitais de terreno de alta resolução e exatidão. Porém, quando se necessita trabalhar em aplicações com uma resolução menor que a originalmente gerada, a grande quantidade de dados acarreta a necessidade de generalização. Este trabalho tem por objetivo verificar o comportamento da transformada wavelet na generalização de modelos digitais do terreno sob a forma de grades regulares, obtidas a partir de dados do laser scanner. As transformadas wavelets foram implementadas em programas na linguagem Matlab. Foram utilizadas as wavelets de Haar, Daubechies e Symlet. A generalização por krigagem foi utilizada para a comparação dos resultados. Os resultados obtidos nos experimentos realizados permitem afirmar que a transformada wavelet pode ser utilizada como alternativa para a generalização de MDT em razão da facilidade de programação, baixo custo computacional, alta velocidade de processamento e exatidão compatível com a resolução obtida no MDT generalizado, além de ser um método natural de análise multirresolução