Confocal microscopic image sequence compression using vector quantization and 3D pyramids

The 3D pyramid compressor project at the University of Glasgow has developed a compressor for images obtained from CLSM device. The proposed method using a combination of image pyramid coder and vector quantization techniques has good performance at compressing confocal volume image data. An experiment was conducted on several kinds of CLSM data using the presented compressor compared to other well-known volume data compressors, such as MPEG-1. The results showed that the 3D pyramid compressor gave higher subjective and objective image quality of reconstructed images at the same compression ratio and presented more acceptable results when applying image processing filters on reconstructed images

ROV's Video Recordings as a Tool to Estimate Variation in Megabenthic Epifauna Diversity and Community Composition in the Guaymas Basin

Patterns in benthic megafauna diversity in littoral and intertidal zones in the Gulf of California have been associated with both habitat heterogeneity and substrate type. Current knowledge of invertebrate communities in hard bottom habitats at depths > 200 m in the Gulf is poor due to the methodological limitations inherent in sampling deep habitats. Using video imagery of benthic habitats coupled with environmental data from the Remotely Operated Vehicle Doc Ricketts, we documented variation in the diversity and community composition of the benthos from 849 to 990 m depth in the NW limit of the Guaymas Basin, in relation to dissolved oxygen and substrate characteristics. This depth range overlaps an oxygen minimum zone where oxygen drops to levels < 0.5 ml L-1 and strong gradients in a narrow depth range occur. Dissolved oxygen varied along our benthic survey from 0.200 to 0.135 ml L-1. We observed high taxonomic richness across an area of rocky outcrops through the lower transition zone. This megafaunal pattern differs from reports from other oxygen minimum zones characterized by a great abundance of a few species. Taxonomic richness diminished at depths with reduced dissolved oxygen in the lower boundary of the oxygen minimum zone with increasing soft sediment cover. We found that rocky outcrops and structure-forming organisms such as corals, sponges, and oyster aggregations supported a higher diversity (H' = 0.8) than soft sediment (H' = 0.7) as have been observed in other habitats such as seamounts. Environmental variables that explained most of the megafaunal variation were substrate type (18.4%), depth (1.14%) and temperature (0.9%). Salinity (0.45%) and dissolved oxygen (0.3%) were less important factors to explain the megafaunal composition variance. Substrate type played a key role in the diversity and composition of benthic megafauna. These results broaden our understanding concerning the potential roles of substrate characteristics in the community composition of the deep-sea benthic megafaunal assemblages in the Gulf of California and oxygen minimum zones in general

Internet Financial Reporting: the Case of Philippine Banks

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the extent of internet financial reporting (IFR) of Philippine banks. Used as samples were top commercial banks and thrift banks operating in the country considering their total assets as of March, 2012 as published by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in its website. Financial information in the websites of the sampled banks were evaluated during the third quarter of 2012. The study revealed that the quality and extent of IFR of Philippine commercial banks is “average” based on their IFR index score of 44.50 while thrift banks posted a below average IFR index score of 21.56 resulting to a highly significant difference between bank types. Among the four evaluation criteria used, the subject-banks\u27 content disclosure provides the highest percentage contribution to their IFR index scores as this is the main focus of their financial reporting. Among the components of content disclosure, corporate information, chairman\u27s report and the auditor\u27s report emerged as the top three often included in the financial disclosure of the subject-banks while vision statement and press release are the components often updated by both bank types in their websites with the commercial banks notably updating more frequently compared to thrift banks. Relative to technology, online feedback is the most common component in the banks\u27 website while link to homepage is the most usual user support feature relative to the bank\u27s financial reporting practice. Lastly, asset size and bank type were found to have a high significant relationship with the extent of IFR

In-Vitro study of the Anticoagulant Property of Terminalia Catappa (Talisay) Leaf Extract Using Gallus Gallus (Chicken) Blood

Prothrombin time is a test used to help detect and diagnose a bleeding disorder or excessive clotting disorder. It is important to know the prothrombin time because it checks to see if five different blood clotting factors are present. Lack of Vitamin K and having Liver problems are one of the factors that can decrease the prothrombin time of the blood. This research aims to investigate the potential ability of the Terminalia catappa&nbsp; (Talisay) leaf extract to increases prothrombin time of chicken’s blood. The research methods used by the researchers is experimental. A research design where the results are being observed and determined when the independent variable took effect on the dependent variable. . The materials used are ethanol, calcium chloride, leaves and chicken blood. The method that was used in the study is in-vitro, a process that is performed in a test tube, or elsewhere outside a living organism.&nbsp; The 0.5 ml plasma sample was separated into four tubes and the first group of plasma was tested first to determine the initial prothrombin time while the other three groups with the different volumes of plant extract (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 mg/ml) &nbsp;was added separately. The tubes were tilted at about 45° until the permanent clots was obtained. These are recorded as the prothrombin time. The research showed that the Terminalia Catappa leaf extract is effective on increasing the normal prothrombin time of the blood

Families of Association Schemes on Triples from Two-Transitive Groups

Association schemes on triples (ASTs) are ternary analogues of classical association schemes. Analogous to Schurian association schemes, ASTs arise from the actions of two-transitive groups. In this paper, we obtain the sizes and third valencies of the ASTs obtained from the two-transitive permutation groups by determining the orbits of the groups' two-point stabilizers. Specifically, we obtain these parameters for the ASTs obtained from the actions of $S_n$ and $A_n$, $PGU(3,q)$, $PSU(3,q)$, and $Sp(2k,2)$, $Sz(2^{2k+1})$ and $Ree(3^{2k+1})$, some subgroups of $A\Gamma L(k,n)$, some subgroups of $P\Gamma L(k,n)$, and the sporadic two-transitive groups. Further, we obtain the intersection numbers for the ASTs obtained from these subgroups of $P\Gamma L(k,n)$ and $A \Gamma L(k,n)$, and the sporadic two-transitive groups. In particular, the ASTs from these projective and sporadic groups are commutative.Comment: 20 pages, 5 table

Remnant lipoproteins inhibit malaria sporozoite invasion of hepatocytes

Remnants of lipoproteins, intestinal chylomicrons, and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), are rapidly cleared from plasma and enter hepatocytes. It has been suggested that remnant lipoproteins are initially captured in the space of Disse by heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), and that their subsequent internalization into hepatocytes is mediated by members of the LDL-receptor gene family. Similarly to lipoprotein remnants, malaria sporozoites are removed from the blood circulation by the liver within minutes after injection by Anopheles mosquitoes. The sporozoite's surface is covered by the circumsporozoite protein (CS), and its region II-plus has been implicated in the binding of the parasites to glycosaminoglycan chains of hepatocyte HSPGs. Lactoferrin, a protein with antibacterial properties found in breast milk and neutrophil granules, is also rapidly cleared from the circulation by hepatocytes, and can inhibit the hepatic uptake of lipoprotein remnants. Here we provide evidence that sporozoites, lactoferrin, and remnant lipoproteins are cleared from the blood by similar mechanisms. CS, lactoferrin, and remnant lipoproteins compete in vitro and in vivo for binding sites on liver cells. The relevance of this binding event for sporozoite infectivity is highlighted by our demonstration that apoliprotein E-enriched beta-VLDI and lactoferrin inhibit sporozoite invasion of HepG2 cells. In addition, malaria sporozoites are less infective in LDL-receptor knockout (LDLR -/-) mice maintained on a high fat diet, as compared with littermates maintained on a normal diet. We conclude that the clearance of lipoprotein remnants and sporozoites from the blood is mediated by the same set of highly sulfated HSPGs on the hepatocyte plasma membrane

Genome-wide profiling of human cap-independent translation-enhancing elements.

We report an in vitro selection strategy to identify RNA sequences that mediate cap-independent initiation of translation. This method entails mRNA display of trillions of genomic fragments, selection for initiation of translation and high-throughput deep sequencing. We identified &gt;12,000 translation-enhancing elements (TEEs) in the human genome, generated a high-resolution map of human TEE-bearing regions (TBRs), and validated the function of a subset of sequences in vitro and in cultured cells

Galactosemia: genotipo y fenotipo de siete pacientes

Rev Neurol. 2004 Jun 16-30;38(12):1132-5. [Galactosemia: the genotype and phenotype of seven patients]. [Article in Spanish] Martins E, Teixeira J, Cardoso ML, Lima MR, Briones-Godino P, Barbot C. SourceUnidad de Metabolismo, Hospital de Niños Maria Pia, Oporto, Portugal. [email protected] Abstract INTRODUCTION: Despite early dietary therapy, many patients with galactosemia show a neurodegenerative disease specially evident in speech impairment and movement disorders. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, show cerebral white matter changes with hypomielinization bilateral and symetrical periventricular hypersignal in T2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We presented clinical and neuroradiological data of seven children (3 to 12 years of age) with classical galactosemia. All had a typical presentation in neonatal period. Two children had normal development (10 and 12 years-old), four presented developmental delay (10, 7, 4 and 3 years-old), and one showed a dystonic cerebral palsy (kernicterus). RESULTS: The brain MRI showed the typical involvement of white matter, in five children, and basal ganglia abnormalities in the kernicterus patient. Three patients are homozygous for Q188R mutation and two are compound heterozygous. CONCLUSION: We found a positive correlation among developmental delay, white matter involvement and Q188R mutation