Deconvolution: a novel signal processing approach for determining activation time from fractionated electrograms and detecting infarcted tissue

BACKGROUND: Two important signal processing applications in electrophysiology are activation mapping and characterization of the tissue substrate from which electrograms are recorded. We hypothesize that a novel signal-processing method that uses deconvolution is more accurate than amplitude, derivative, and manual activation time estimates. We further hypothesize that deconvolution quantifies changes in morphology that detect electrograms recorded from regions of myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: To determine the accuracy of activation time estimation, 600 unipolar electrograms were calculated with a detailed computer model using various degrees of coupling heterogeneity to model infarction. Local activation time was defined as the time of peak inward sodium current in the modeled myocyte closest to the electrode. Deconvolution, minimum derivative, and maximum amplitude were calculated. Two experienced electrophysiologists blinded to the computer-determined activation times marked their estimates of activation time. F tests compared the variance of activation time estimation for each method. To evaluate the performance of deconvolution to detect infarction, 380 unipolar electrograms were recorded from 10 dogs with infarcts resulting from ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The amplitude, duration, number of inflections, peak frequency, bandwidth, minimum derivative, and deconvolution were calculated. Metrics were compared by Mann-Whitney rank-sum tests, and receiver operating curves were plotted. CONCLUSIONS: Deconvolution estimated local activation time more accurately than the other metrics (P < .0001). Furthermore, the algorithm quantified changes in morphology (P < .0001) with superior performance, detecting electrograms recorded from regions of myocardial infarction. Thus, deconvolution, which incorporates a priori knowledge of electrogram morphology, shows promise to improve present clinical metrics.     

Joint source coding and data rate adaptation for energy efficient wireless video streaming

Rapid growth in wireless networks is fueling demand for video services from mobile users. While the problem of transmitting video over unreliable channels has received some attention, the wireless network environment poses challenges such as transmission power management that have received little attention previously in connection with video. Transmission power management affects battery life in mobile devices, interference to other users, and network capacity. We consider energy efficient transmission of a video sequence under delay and quality constraints. The selection of source coding parameters is considered jointly with transmitter power and rate adaptation, and packet transmission scheduling. The goal is to transmit a video frame using the minimal required transmission energy under delay and quality constraints. Experimental results are presented that illustrate the advantages of the proposed approach.     

Antigenic structure of soluble herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein D correlates with inhibition of HSV infection

Soluble forms of herpes simplex virus (HSV) glycoprotein D (gD) block viral penetration. Likewise, most HSV strains are sensitive to gD-mediated interference by cells expressing gD. The mechanism of both forms of gD-mediated inhibition is thought to be at the receptor level. We analyzed the ability of different forms of soluble, truncated gD (gDt) to inhibit infection by different strains of HSV-1 and HSV-2. Strains that were resistant to gD-mediated interference were also resistant to inhibition by gDt, thereby suggesting a link between these two phenomena. Virion gD was the major viral determinant for resistance to inhibition by gDt. An insertion-deletion mutant, gD-1(delta 290-299t), had an enhanced inhibitory activity against most strains tested. The structure and function of gDt proteins derived from the inhibition-resistant viruses rid1 and ANG were analyzed. gD-1(ridlt) and gD-1(ANGt) had a potent inhibitory effect on plaque formation by wild-type strains of HSV but, surprisingly, little or no effect on their parental strains. As measured by quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a diverse panel of monoclonal antibodies, the antigenic structures of gD-1(rid1t) and gD-1(ANGt) were divergent from that of the wild type yet were similar to each other and to that of gD-1 (delta 290-299t). Thus, three different forms of gD have common antigenic changes that correlate with enhanced inhibitory activity against HSV. We conclude that inhibition of HSV infectivity by soluble gD is influenced by the antigenic conformation of the blocking gDt as well as the form of gD in the target virus.     

A screening inventory for assessing psychiatric impairment in children 6 to 18.

Administered a structured questionnaire to a cross-sectional sample of 1,034 mothers and a welfare sample of 1,000 mothers of 6-18 yr olds in New York City. One or more psychiatrists rated each of the children on a 5-point scale of total psychiatric impairment. Factor analysis of the questionnaire items of child behavior yielded 18 factors. The 7 factors with the highest correlations with total psychiatric impairment were selected for the inventory, each represented by 5 items. The correlation of the total 35-item score and total psychiatric impairment was .82. The screening inventory significantly and substantially improved over chance in assigning children to impairment statuses in the cross-sectional sample and the sample used for cross-validation, the welfare sample. Correlations of the total score with child's treatment status and a direct clinical examination rating were expectedly low. In its present form, the instrument is recommended only for comparisons of different child and adolescent groups. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disulfide bond structure determination and biochemical analysis of glycoprotein C from herpes simplex virus

A biochemical analysis of glycoprotein C (gC of herpes simplex virus was undertaken to further characterize the structure of the glycoprotein and to determine its disulfide bond arrangement. We used three recombinant forms of gC, gC1(457t), gC1(delta33-123t), and gC2(426t), each truncated prior to the transmembrane region. The proteins were expressed and secreted by using a baculovirus expression system and have been shown to bind to monoclonal antibodies which recognize discontinuous epitopes and to complement component C3b in a dose-dependent manner. We confirmed the N-terminal residues of each mature protein by Edman degradation and confirmed the internal deletion in gC1(delta33-123t). The molecular weight and extent of glycosylation of gC1 (457t), gC1(delta33-123t), and gC2(426t) were determined by treating each protein with endoglycosidases and then subjecting it to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and mass spectrometric analysis. The data indicate that eight to nine of the predicted N-linked oligosaccharide sites on gC1(457t) are occupied by glycans of approximately 1,000 Da. In addition, O-linked oligosaccharides are present on gC1(457t), primarily localized to the N-terminal region (amino acids [aa] 33 to 123) of the protein. gC2(426t) contains N-linked oligosaccharides, but no O-linked oligosaccharides were detected. To determine the disulfide bond arrangement of the eight cysteines of gC1(457t),the protein was cleaved with cyanogen bromide. SDS-PAGE analysis followed by Edman degradation identified three cysteine-containing fragments which are not connected by disulfide linkages. Chemical modification of cysteines combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry identified disulfide bonds between cysteine 1 (aa 127) and cysteine 2 (aa 144) and between cysteine 3 (aa 286) and cysteine 4 (aa 347). Further proteolysis of the cyanogen bromide-generated fragment containing cysteine 5 through cysteine 8, combined with mass spectrometry and Edman degradation, showed that disulfide bonds link cysteine 5 (aa 386) to cysteine 8 (aa 442) and cysteine 6 (aa 390) to cysteine 7 (aa 419). A similar disulfide bond arrangement is postulated to exist in gC homologs from other herpesviruses.     

A rose is a REEZ: The two-cycles model of phonology assembly in reading English.

The authors propose a model of phonological assembly that postulates a multilinear representation that segregates consonants and vowels in different planes. This representation determines the online process of assembly: Consonants and vowels are derived in 2 consecutive cycles that differ in their automaticity. The model's temporal properties resolve critical contradictions in the phonological processing literature. Its claims are further supported by a series of English-masking and English-priming experiments demonstrating that the contributions of consonants and vowels depend on target exposure duration and differ in their susceptibility to digit load. One methodological implication of the model is that regularity effects are not necessary evidence for assembly. This claim is supported by naming studies showing that vowel assembly requires long target durations, but short target durations permit consonant assembly despite null evidence for vowels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The shape of things to come: Miss America versus the golden rectangle.

With today's emphasis on Metrecal, dietary cola, and artificial sweeteners, one can only conclude that America is slenderness conscious. The low silhouettes of modern houses and factories, the soaring skyscrapers puncturing the horizon, reinforce the notion that sheer bulk is considered ugly nowadays. Our original aim in this study was to try to relate preferences for rectangle shapes to pleasing height/width architectural proportions. The golden rectangle has exercised a mystical mathematical appeal; the longer side is to the shorter as the shorter is to the difference between the sides. Cards were prepared showing a black rectangle, with the long side oriented vertically, on a white background. Two such packs were used, one having rectangles of equal width, the other rectangles of equal area. The 12 selected length/width ratios were identical for each pack ranging from 1/1 to 2.85/1, and the ratios included the golden rectangle. Subjects were given a pack of cards stacked in a random order and asked to spread them out, and then to choose the most pleasing shape. The main conclusion is that preferred height/width ratios for buildings are exceedingly variable. Second, there is a definite preference in favor of the tall and slender, much more so than for rectangles. In general it may be said that heights of Miss America pageant winners have been rather variable, waistlines have tended to become slimmer over the past 46 years, leading to an increasing height/waistline ratio. It is obvious that the height/waistline ratio cannot be a linear function of time; women were not wider than they were tall several hundred years ago. Yet one can look forward to slimmer waisted and perhaps slightly taller Miss America winners in the years to come. We therefore wish to affirm the notion that modern Americans are slenderness conscious. It can be stated that the golden rectangle is not now, and perhaps never was, a sure preference standard. But with each passing year it seems, to us at least, that the newest Miss America proves to be more shapely than ever. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Deviation of residual stress patterns in 52 100 bearing steel due to inherent microstructural transformations after rolling contact

A previous publication proved empirically that residual stresses in 52 100 bearing steel are caused mainly by microstructural transformations during rolling contact. It also introduced a model estimating the magnitude of residual stresses resulting from microstructural transformations. The results from this model prompted this study because the model showed a discrepancy between the measured results and the magnitude of the estimated residual stresses derived from the model. This study uses metallurgical analysis and modeling to explain why the measured and estimated magnitudes of residual stresses did not coincide. Metallurgical analysis explains the roles of retained austenite transformation and martensite decay in the ultimate magnitude of residual stresses at the surface of the bearing balls after rolling contact. The model estimates the magnitude of expected residual stresses due to martensite decay and suggests the number of cycles that bearing balls can operate under the beneficial effects of compressive residual stresses without spalling.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of ionomers. 6. Polyurethane-polyphosphonate blends

Blending of a poly(ether urethane) with a polyphosphonate obtained by phase transfer catalyzed polycondensation of 4,4′-biphenol and chloromethylphosphonic dichloride generates a phase-separated material. One phase contains the soft segment of the polyurethane. This has been excluded from a high-T_g phase that contains ionic species formed mainly by proton transfer and elimination reactions between the hard segment of the polyurethane and the polyphosphonate. Two glass transitions appear in the blend: one close to the T_g of the polyphosphonate and one belonging to the excluded soft segment of the polyurethane. The low temperature T_g decreases with the increasing content of the polyphosphonate, whereas the high temperature transition increases slightly, indicating an increasing purity of the soft segment and the presence of ionic interactions in the hard segment. The presence of ionic interactions is confirmed by NMR analysis of the blend. Comparison of the spectra of the blends with those of the pure components, along with two-dimensional experiments, indicate a reaction involving the chloromethyl groups of the polyphosphonate and the nitrogens of the polyurethane.