Unlabelled: Objective: The three steps of brain image processing - preprocessing, segmentation, and classification are becoming increasingly important in patient care. The aim of this article is to present a proposed method in the mentioned three-steps, with emphasis on the preprocessing step, which includes noise removal and contrast enhancement. Methods: The fast and adaptive bidimensional empirical mode decomposition and the anisotropic diffusion equation as well as the modified combination of top-hat and bottom-hat transforms are used for noise reduction and contrast enhancement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpoxy resin has been extensively used in many industrial and daily applications due to its unique properties. However, the high flammability of epoxy has limited its further development. DOPO derivatives, which are organophosphorus compounds, are highly effective components of flame retardant epoxy composites due to their good compatibility with the resin and their lower toxicity compared to halogenated compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcross the steadily superseding world, the younger generation is coming under pressure for an increase in the standard and a highly growing demand on their life themselves. This could lead to a variety of problems, including academic perfectionism and school alienation. To gain more insights into these phenomena, we conducted two research projects on students from eight upper secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam using online surveys, and obtained two datasets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic exerted an adverse influence on the global education system, especially since starting school lockdown. The growth of teacher unemployment figures climbed double-digit and spawned these unexpected sequels. For instance, while native teachers seemed indisposed to leave the profession with the aim of seeking another more profited and seasonal jobs, many ex-pat teachers presented themselves with moving or stayed dilemma in the way the government salvaged their situation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman challenge trials (HCTs) have been proposed as a means to accelerate SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development. We identify and discuss 3 potential use cases of HCTs in the current pandemic: evaluating efficacy, converging on correlates of protection, and improving understanding of pathogenesis and the human immune response. We outline the limitations of HCTs and find that HCTs are likely to be most useful for vaccine candidates currently in preclinical stages of development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies report widespread cortical thinning in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), but did not consider potential effects of pro-atherogenic conditions such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hepatitis C seropositivity and hyperlipidemia on cortical thickness. The conditions are associated with regional cortical thinning in those without AUD. We predicted that individuals with concurrent AUD and pro-atherogenic conditions demonstrate the greatest regional cortical thinning in areas most vulnerable to decreased perfusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOn average, two-thirds of individuals treated for alcohol use disorder (AUD) relapse within six months. There is a critical need to identify modifiable risk factors associated with relapse that can be addressed during AUD treatment. Candidate factors include mood disorders and cigarette smoking, which frequently co-occur with AUD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Diabetic patients present higher level of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation contributing to the development of vascular complications. While it has been suggested that this hematology/rheology parameter could bring additional prognostic information for the management of those patients, RBC aggregation screening is not included as a clinical practice. Most medical centers are not equipped to measure properly this parameter, although sedimentation tests can bring some indication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFType IV pilin (PilA) is a major constituent of pilus and is required for bacterial biofilm formation, surface motility and virulence. It is known that mature PilA is produced by cleavage of the short leader sequence of the pilin precursor, followed by methylation of N-terminal phenylalanine. The molecular mass of the PilA mature protein from the tobacco bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlycosylation of flagellin contributes to swimming and swarming motilities, adhesion ability, and consequently virulence in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci 6605. Glycans attached to six serine residues are located in the central region of the flagellin polypeptide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUltrasound Med Biol
April 2008
Previous in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that blood echogenicity varies under pulsatile flow, but such changes could not always be measured at physiological stroke rates. The apparent contradiction between these studies could be a result of the use of different ultrasound frequencies. Backscattered signals from porcine blood were measured in a pulsatile Couette flow apparatus.
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