Computerized Detection of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency from Digital Cornea Images

Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD) is an eye disease that can cause corneal opacity and vascularization. In its advanced stage it can lead to a degree of visual impairment. It involves the changing in the semispherical shape of the cornea to a drooping shape to downwards direction. LSCD is hard to be diagnosed at early stages. The color and texture of the cornea surface can provide significant information about the cornea affected by LSCD. Parameters such as shape and texture are very crucial to differentiate normal from LSCD cornea. Although several medical approaches exist, most of them requires complicated procedure and medical devices. Therefore, in this paper, we pursued the development of a LSCD detection technique (LDT) utilizing image processing methods. Early diagnosis of LSCD is very crucial for physicians to arrange for effective treatment. In the proposed technique, we developed a method for LSCD detection utilizing frontal eye images. A dataset of 280 eye images of frontal and lateral LSCD and normal patients were used in this research. First, the cornea region of both frontal and lateral images is segmented, and the geometric features are extracted through the automated active contour model and the spline curve. While the texture features are extracted using the feature selection algorithm. The experimental results exhibited that the combined features of the geometric and texture will exhibit accuracy of 95.95%, sensitivity of 97.91% and specificity of 94.05% with the random forest classifier of n = 40. As a result, this research developed a Limbal stem cell deficiency detection system utilizing features’ fusion using image processing techniques for frontal and lateral digital images of the eyes.     

Medical image watermarking for ownership & tamper detection

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Image watermarking can provide ownership identification as well as tamper protection. Transform domain based image watermarking has been proven to be more robust...     

Optimization of user behavior based handover using fuzzy Q-learning for LTE networks

In LTE networks, handover optimization is necessary to enhance the users’ satisfaction. Specifically, users using real time traffic need to experience continuous connectivity. Hence, radio link failures (RLFs) severely affect their quality of experience. Decreasing the RLFs for non-real time users is not as urgent as the case of real time users. On the other hand, a total network collapse can happen in case of too much unnecessary handovers (ping-pongs). In this work, fuzzy Q-learning is used to optimize the two contradictory handover problems, which are RLFs and ping-pongs. The former needs to decrease Handover Margin (HOM) to reduce the too late handover, and the latter needs to increase the HOM to reduce the unnecessary signaling. In the developed algorithm, the users in the network are divided into four categories, according to their speed and the data traffic used. This increases the satisfaction of some users, while keeping the overall handover problems within acceptable limits. For each category of users, fuzzy Q-learning is applied with a different initial candidate fuzzy actions. The proposed technique shows the best performance for each category of users in terms of the most preferred metric, either decreasing RLF or decreasing ping-pongs, for this category of users in comparison with two other literature techniques, or without using any optimization technique. Moreover, the algorithm is robust against changes in the number of users in the system, as it maintains the best solution when the number of users is halved or even doubled.     

Magnetic field effects as a result of the radical pair mechanism are unlikely in redox enzymes

Environmental exposure to electromagnetic fields is potentially carcinogenic. The radical pair mechanism is considered the most feasible mechanism of interaction between weak magnetic fields encountered in our environment and biochemical systems. Radicals are abundant in biology, both as free radicals and reaction intermediates in enzyme mechanisms. The catalytic cycles of some flavin-dependent enzymes are either known or potentially involve radical pairs. Here, we have investigated the magnetic field sensitivity of a number of flavoenzymes with important cellular roles. We also investigated the magnetic field sensitivity of a model system involving stepwise reduction of a flavin analogue by a nicotinamide analogue—a reaction known to proceed via a radical pair. Under the experimental conditions used, magnetic field sensitivity was not observed in the reaction kinetics from stopped-flow measurements in any of the systems studied. Although widely implicated in radical pair chemistry, we conclude that thermally driven, flavoenzyme-catalysed reactions are unlikely to be influenced by exposure to external magnetic fields.     

"Mother-baby" biliary endoscopy: the University of Chicago experience

Recoverin is a calcium-binding protein expressed in retinal photoreceptors. It appears to delay the termination of the phototransduction cascade by blocking the phosphorylation of photoexcited rhodopsin. The goal of this study was to determine if recoverin mRNA and protein are expressed in cultured human Y79 retinoblastoma cells, so that this cell line could be used as a model to study the mechanism of recoverin gene expression in the retina. A cDNA encoding human recoverin was PCR cloned and used for prokaryotic expression of recoverin protein. Polyclonal antibodies raised against pure recombinant recoverin were used for western blotting and immunocytochemistry of Y79 cells grown as attachment cultures in the presence of the differentiating agents dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) or butyrate. Northern blot analysis was performed on mRNA extracted from Y79 cells that were also treated with the differentiating agents. In Y79 cell monolayer cultures, recoverin was immunolocalized to the cell cytoplasm, and immunoreactivity was increased dramatically by the addition of 2 mM butyrate to the culture medium. Butyrate treatment also caused an increase in the development of neurite-like cellular processes. Addition of 4 mM dbcAMP resulted in a moderate increase in both recoverin immunoreactivity and number of cellular processes. Western and northern blots of butyrate and dbcAMP-treated Y79 cell cultures demonstrated an increase in recoverin protein and RNA expression, respectively, comparable with that observed with immunocytochemistry. These data suggest that, under the influence of the differentiating agent butyrate, Y79 cells exhibit an increase in expression of the photoreceptor protein recoverin and a concomitant morphological differentiation toward a neuronal phenotype.     

MAGELLAN: Map Acquisition of GEographic Labels by Legend ANalysis

A system named MAGELLAN (denoting Map Acquisition of GEographic Labels by Legend ANalysis) is described that utilizes the symbolic knowledge found in the legend of the map to drive geographic symbol (or label) recognition. MAGELLAN first scans the geographic symbol layer(s) of the map. The legend of the map is located and segmented. The geographic symbols (i.e., labels) are identified, and their semantic meaning is attached. An initial training set library is constructed based on this information. The training set library is subsequently used to classify geographic symbols in input maps using statistical pattern recognition. User interaction is required at first to assist in constructing the training set library to account for variability in the symbols. The training set library is built dynamically by entering only instances that add information to it. MAGELLAN then proceeds to identify the geographic symbols in the input maps automatically. MAGELLAN can be fine-tuned by the user to suit specific needs. Recognition rates of over 93% were achieved in an experimental study on a large amount of data. Received January 5, 1998 / Revised March 18, 1998     

The additional dose to radiosensitive organs caused by using under-collimated X-ray beams in neonatal intensive care radiography

Radiographic technique and exposure parameters were recorded in five Israeli Neonatal Intensive Care Units for chest, abdomen and both chest and abdomen X-ray examinations. Equivalent dose and effective dose values were calculated according to actual examination field size borders and proper technique field size recommendations using PCXMC, a PC-based Monte Carlo program. Exposure of larger than required body areas resulted in an increase of the organ doses by factors of up to 162 (testes), 162 (thyroid) and 8 (thyroid) for chest, abdomen and both chest and abdomen examinations, respectively. These exposures increased the average effective dose by factors of 2.0, 1.9 and 1.3 for the chest, abdomen and both chest and abdomen examinations, respectively. Differences in exposure parameters were found between the different neonatal intensive care units-tube voltage, current-time product and focal to skin distance differences up to 13, 44 and 22%, respectively. Reduction of at least 50% of neonate exposure is feasible and can be implemented using existing methodology without any additional costs.     

Synthesis,Surface Properties and Antimicrobial Activity of Bolaamphiphile/Oppositely Charged Conventional Surfactant Mixed Systems

Four ionic bolaamphiphiles were synthesized from four bolasingle systems and the surface properties of bolasingle systems and bola\oppositely charged conventional mixed surfactant systems were studied. Variations in the structure of the hydrophobic chain of bolaamphiphiles has a great influence on their antimicrobial activities. The bolaform surfactants prepared have significant antimicrobial and antifungal activities relative to their conventional analogues. The Г_∞ (saturated adsorption amount) and A _min (minimum average area per surfactant molecule) of these bolaamphiphiles in both water and 0.1 M NaCl solutions were calculated and CMC of the mixed systems with oppositely charged conventional surfactants in both water and 0.1 M NaCl solutions were determined.

Implantable biodegradable sponges: effect of interpolymer complex formation of chitosan with gelatin on the release behavior of tramadol hydrochloride

The effect of interpolymer complex formation between positively charged chitosan and negatively charged gelatin (Type B) on the release behavior of tramadol hydrochloride from biodegradable chitosan-gelatin sponges was studied. Mixed sponges were prepared by freeze-drying the cross-linked homogenous stable foams produced from chitosan and gelatin solutions where gelatin acts as a foam builder. Generation of stable foams was optimized where concentration, pH of gelatin solution, temperature, speed and duration of whipping process, and, chitosan-gelatin ratio drastically affect the properties and the stability of the produced foams. The prepared sponges were evaluated for their morphology, drug content, and microstructure using scanning electron microscopy, mechanical properties, uptake capacity, drug release profile, and their pharmacodynamic activity in terms of the analgesic effect after implantation in Wistar rats.

It was revealed that whipping 7% (w/w) gelatin solution, of pH 5.5, for 15 min at 25°C with a stirring speed of 1000 rpm was the optimum conditions for stable gelatin foam generation. Moreover, homogenous, uniform chitosan-gelatin foam with small air bubbles were produced by mixing 2.5% w/w chitosan solution with 7% w/w gelatinsolution in 1:5 ratio. Indeed, polyionic complexation between chitosan and gelatin overcame the drawbacks of chitosan sponge mechanical properties where, pliable, soft, and compressible sponge with high fluid uptake capacity was produced at 25°Cand 65% relative humidity without any added plasticizer. Drugreleasestudies showed a successful retardation of the incorporated drug where the t_50% values of the dissolution profiles were 0.55, 3.03, and 4.73 hr for cross-linked gelatin, un-cross-linked chitosan-gelatin, and cross-linked chitosan-gelatin sponges, respectively. All the release experiments followed Higuchi's diffusion mechanism over 12 hr. The achieved drug prolongation was a result of a combined effect of both cross-linking and polyelectrolyte complexation between chitosan and gelatin. The analgesic activity of the implanted tramadol hydrochloride mixed chitosan-gelatin sponge showed reasonable analgesic effect that was maintained for more than 8 hr. Therefore, the use of chitosan and gelatin together appears to allow the formulator to manipulate both the drug release profiles and the mechanical properties of the sponge that could be effectively implanted.