Multiple transmission optimization of medical images in recourse-constraint mobile telemedicine systems

Background and objective In the state-of-the-art image transmission methods, multiple large medical images are usually transmitted one by one which is very inefficient. The objective of our study is to devise an effective and efficient multiple transmission optimization scheme for medical images called Mto via analyzing the visual content of the multiple images based on the characteristics of a recourse-constraint mobile telemedicine system (MTS) and the medical images; Methods To better facilitate the efficient Mto processing, two enabling techniques, i.e., 1) NIB grouping scheme, and 2) adaptive RIB replicas selection are developed. Given a set of transmission images (Ω), the correlation of these transmission images is first explored, the pixel resolutions of the corresponding MIBs keep high, the NIBs are grouped into k clusters based on the visual similarity in which the k RIBs are obtained. An optimal pixel resolution for the RIBs is derived based on the current network bandwidth and their corresponding areas, etc. Then, the candidate MIBs and the k RIBs are transmitted to the receiver node based on their transmission priorities. Finally, the IBs are reconstructed and displayed at the receiver node level for different users. Results The experimental results show that our approach is about 45% more efficient than the state-of-the-art methods, significantly minimizing the response time by decreasing the network communication cost while improving the transmission throughput; Conclusions Our proposed Mto method can be seamlessly applied in a recourse-constraint MTS environment in which the high transmission efficiency and the acceptable image quality can be guaranteed. Keywords Medical imageMulti-resolutionMobile telemedicine systemBatch transmissionpostprin

Physical interpretation of the correlation between multi-angle spectral data and canopy height

Recent empirical studies have shown that multi-angle spectral data can be useful for predicting canopy height, but the physical reason for this correlation was not understood. We follow the concept of canopy spectral invariants, specifically escape probability, to gain insight into the observed correlation. Airborne Multi-Angle Imaging Spectrometer (AirMISR) and airborne Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) data acquired during a NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program aircraft campaign underlie our analysis. Two multivariate linear regression models were developed to estimate LVIS height measures from 28 AirMISR multi-angle spectral reflectances and from the spectrally invariant escape probability at 7 AirMISR view angles. Both models achieved nearly the same accuracy, suggesting that canopy spectral invariant theory can explain the observed correlation. We hypothesize that the escape probability is sensitive to the aspect ratio (crown diameter to crown height). The multi-angle spectral data alone therefore may not provide enough information to retrieve canopy height globally

The prevalence of insomnia in the general population in China: A meta-analysis

This is the first meta-analysis of the pooled prevalence of insomnia in the general population of China. A systematic literature search was conducted via the following databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Interne (CNKI), WanFang Data and SinoMed). Statistical analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program. A total of 17 studies with 115,988 participants met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The pooled prevalence of insomnia in China was 15.0% (95% Confidence interval [CI]: 12.1%-18.5%). No significant difference was found in the prevalence between genders or across time period. The pooled prevalence of insomnia in population with a mean age of 43.7 years and older (11.6%; 95% CI: 7.5%-17.6%) was significantly lower than in those with a mean age younger than 43.7 years (20.4%; 95% CI: 14.2%-28.2%). The prevalence of insomnia was significantly affected by the type of assessment tools (Q = 14.1, P = 0.001). The general population prevalence of insomnia in China is lower than those reported in Western countries but similar to those in Asian countries. Younger Chinese adults appear to suffer from more insomnia than older adults

First-order super-radiant phase transitions in a multi-qubit--cavity system

We predict the existence of novel first-order phase transitions in a general class of multi-qubit-cavity systems. Apart from atomic systems, the associated super-radiant phase transition should be observable in a variety of solid-state experimental systems, including the technologically important case of interacting quantum dots coupled to an optical cavity mode.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Proteomic analysis of a preneoplastic phenotype in ovarian surface epithelial cells derived from prophylactic oophorectomies

Objective. To study the pattern of protein expression associated with a predisposition to develop ovarian cancer. Methods. Prophylactic oophorectomy is used to prevent ovarian carcinoma in high-risk populations who have a strong family history of breast/ovarian cancer. In ovarian specimens of these women, the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), which is tissue of origin of epithelial ovarian cancer, often shows altered morphology, growth patterns and differentiation features that are believed to be preneoplastic. This study has used a proteomic approach, based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, to compare the protein profiles of OSE from women with a history of familial ovarian cancer (FH-OSE), i.e., at least two first-degree relatives with such cancer and/or testing positive for BRCA1 mutations, to those without such history (NFH-OSE). Results. Of >1500 protein spots, there were 8 proteins whose levels were significantly altered in FH-OSE. Three were known ovarian tumor associated proteins, others were novel changes. A number of the alterations seen were accompanied with protein modifications and have not been previously reported. There was a predominance of sequences related to the stress response pathway. Differential expression of selected genes was confirmed by Western blotting and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Conclusions. Our findings define the OSE phenotype of women at a high risk of developing ovarian cancer. Protein alterations seen in these tissues may represent an early, irreversible, non-mutational step in ovarian epithelial neoplastic progression and may be potential early and sensitive markers for the evaluation of cancer risk. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.postprin

Photon-Neutrino Interactions

We discuss the interaction of photons with neutrinos including two lepton loops. The parity violation in the gamma-nu to gamma-nu channel due to two lepton loops is substantially enhanced relative to the one lepton loop contribution. However there is no corresponding enhancement in the parity conserving amplitude in either the direct or the cross channel.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure