Combined diversity sequence estimation receiver for wideband digital mobile radio

An investigation is presented into the performance of a novel type of sequence estimation equalisation receiver. The receiver incorporates space diversity to further enhance the signal reception in multipath fading environments. It is shown that the receiver complexity is reduced by approx. 90% with virtually no performance loss compared to that of the MLSE.published_or_final_versio

Cervical spine disease in Asian populations

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Research strategies in molecular signaling of neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer's disease

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Reducing calcium-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress could attenuate beta-amyloid peptide neurotoxicity

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The use of Mood Disorder Questionnaire Hypomania Checklist-32 and clinical predictors for screening previously unrecognised bipolar disorder in a general psychiatric setting

Bipolar disorder is often unrecognised and misdiagnosed in the general psychiatric setting. This study compared the psychometric properties of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the Hypomania Checklist-32 (HCL-32), examined the clinical predictors of bipolar disorder and determined the best approach for screening previously unrecognised bipolar disorder in a general psychiatric clinic. A random sample of 340 non-psychotic outpatients with no previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder completed the MDQ and HCL-32 during their scheduled clinic visits. Mood and alcohol/substance use disorders were reassessed using a telephone-based Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. We found that the HCL-32 had better psychometric performance and discriminatory capacity than the MDQ. The HCL-32's internal consistency and 4-week test-retest reliability were higher. The area under the curve was also greater than that of the MDQ at various clustering and impairment criteria. The optimal cut-off of the MDQ was co-occurrence of four symptoms with omission of the impairment criterion; for the HCL-32, it was 11 affirmative responses. Multivariable logistic regression found that bipolar family history was associated with an increased risk of bipolar disorder (odds ratio = 4.93). The study showed that simultaneous use of the HCL-32 and bipolar family history was the best approach for detecting previously unrecognised bipolar disorder. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.postprin

Common Genetic Variant Association with Altered HLA Expression, Synergy with Pyrethroid Exposure, and Risk for Parkinson's Disease: An Observational and Case-Control Study.

Background/objectivesThe common non-coding single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3129882 in HLA-DRA is associated with risk for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The location of the SNP in the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) locus implicates regulation of antigen presentation as a potential mechanism by which immune responses link genetic susceptibility to environmental factors in conferring lifetime risk for PD.MethodsFor immunophenotyping, blood cells from 81 subjects were analyzed by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. A case-control study was performed on a separate cohort of 962 subjects to determine association of pesticide exposure and the SNP with risk of PD.ResultsHomozygosity for G at this SNP was associated with heightened baseline expression and inducibility of MHC class II molecules in B cells and monocytes from peripheral blood of healthy controls and PD patients. In addition, exposure to a commonly used class of insecticide, pyrethroids, synergized with the risk conferred by this SNP (OR = 2.48, p = 0.007), thereby identifying a novel gene-environment interaction that promotes risk for PD via alterations in immune responses.ConclusionsIn sum, these novel findings suggest that the MHC-II locus may increase susceptibility to PD through presentation of pathogenic, immunodominant antigens and/or a shift toward a more pro-inflammatory CD4+ T cell response in response to specific environmental exposures, such as pyrethroid exposure through genetic or epigenetic mechanisms that modulate MHC-II gene expression

Development of a school-based neuroscience curriculum in a high school in Hong Kong

Ref. No. 23.5/NNN44We are the pioneer to develop a school-based neuroscience curriculum in a high school in Hong Kong. Although the functions and basic structure of the brain and neurons, neuromuscular junction, neurotransmission, spinal reflexes, roles of cone and rod cells in vision and cochlea in audition are included in Hong Kong’s high-school science curricula including Integrated Science and Biology, a comprehensive neuroscience curriculum and neuroscience teachers to cultivate young neuroscientists and to raise student’s awareness and understanding on some common neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease and Parkinson’s disease are absent. Since 2004, our school has set up a school-based neuroscience program in which research-based learning mode is applied to engage students in learning neurodegenerative diseases. Neuronal cell culture is also included as a tool for students to study the growth and death of neurons. To further promote neuroscience education, student’s participation in neuroscience research and attendance in neuroscience conferences are encouraged. Collaboration with neuroscientists in university is highly supportive to neuroscience education in our school. To further develop the school-based neuroscience curriculum, more diverse examples about neuroscience such as studies on invertebrate nervous system will be introduced. To evaluate our school-based neuroscience curriculum, student’s awareness and interest on neuroscience are enhanced. This implicates that our school-based neuroscience curriculum is constructive to the neuroscience education in our school.postprin

Comparison of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis and conventional culture in the environmental survey of hospital

学位記番号：医博甲160