Noisy face recognition using compression-based joint wavelet-transform correlator

A new method for noisy face recognition by incorporating wavelet filter into compression-based joint transform correlator (JTC) is proposed. The simulation results show that the proposed method has advantages over the conventional compression-based JTC in that regardless of the contrast and the noise level of the target, the wavelet filter can optimize the recognition performance to be higher than the classical JTC, provided compressed references have high contrast.     

Alteration of diffusion tensor parameters in postmortem brain

In autopsy of humans, there is usually an interval of hours to days between death and tissue fixation, during which the cadaver is stored below room temperature to retard tissue autolysis. We have attempted to model this process and evaluate the alteration in diffusion indices of the postmortem brain in pigs, which were kept at 4°C. The pigs were scanned prior to death and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48 and 72 h postmortem. Regions of interest were placed in the corpus callosum, internal capsule, periventricular and subcortical white matter anteriorly and posteriorly. There was a slight increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the first 3 h postmortem. The FA remained stable up to 72 h postmortem. There was a marked decrease in trace, eigenmajor (λmajor), eigenmedium (λmedium) and eigenminor (λminor), particularly in the first 3 h following death. This study supports the utility of measuring diffusion anisotropy if the time elapsed between death and tissue fixation is within 3 days. However, trace and eigenvalues decreased markedly within the first few hours postmortem. Therefore trace and eigenvalues obtained from ex vivo studies cannot be extrapolated to in vivo studies.     

Optical implementation of the Banyan network using the Wigner distribution approach

A new optical processor is proposed for implementing the Banyan interconnection network. The optical system is simple and compact since it only employs a phase filter to permute the data input. Based on a relation between the space-spatial frequency information of the input plane and that of the output plane, the required local phase variation of the filter is determined by means of the Wigner distribution function. Experimental verifications are presented for a one-stage four-channel interconnection.     

Engineering of Human CYP3A Enzymes by Combination of Activating Polymorphic Variants

The use of human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes is increasing for the production of drug metabolites used for drug safety testing and doping analysis. Major challenges are high-priced cofactors, poor stability, and comparatively low activities. We have shown previously that production of specific metabolites in milligrams to gram scale is feasible using human CYPs recombinantly expressed in fission yeast. In this study, we sought to improve the activities of human CYP3A enzymes by genetic engineering. Two side chains (Pro293 and Arg409) of known activating human CYP3A polymorphic variants were??separately or together??introduced into the wild-type forms of each of the three enzymes CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7, respectively. Different effects of the two mutations and their combination on enzyme activity were monitored using both polar and nonpolar substrates. Interestingly, the CYP3A7 double mutant displayed a strong increase in activity with respect to testosterone 6??-hydroxylation (300?% of wild-type activity) and luciferin-6??-pentafluoro-benzyl ether turnover (400?% compared to wild type), while the single mutant CYP3A5^Pro293 showed 370 and 400?% of wild-type activity towards 6??-hydroxylation of testosterone and 16??-hydroxylation of dehydroepiandrosterone, respectively. Overall, six out of seven newly created mutants displayed increased activity with at least one of the tested substrates. These results support the notion that pharmacogenetic knowledge can directly contribute to the improvement of biotechnological processes.     

Quality of images decrypted from in-line holographic encryption of images

We investigate quality of images decrypted from in-line holograms recorded with a random phase mask placed behind an input image. High- and low-contrast fingerprint images are used as test scenes. The simulation results show that due to multiple convolution processes and a limitation of the CCD sensor resolution, quality of decrypted images is sensitive to spatial separations between the input image, the phase mask and the hologram. We propose a new method for improving quality of decrypted images by using background noise removal. It is found that in comparison with high-contrast input, the low-contrast image is more robust to distortion caused by the encryption–decryption process.     

All wavelet analysis of in-line particle holograms

In-line particle holography is a well-known method used for visualization and measurement of small objects such as sizes, 3-D positions and velocities. However, this method suffers from a major drawback that is conventional analysis of its reconstructed images is very tedious and time consuming. In this paper, we review recent progress in holographic particle tracking and sizing by using wavelet transform. Recent experimental results of spherical object measurement are noted.     

The Rh4(CO)12-catalyzed hydroformylation of 3,3-dimethylbut-1-ene promoted with HMn(CO)5. Bimetallic catalytic binuclear elimination as an origin for synergism in homogeneous catalysis

The bimetallic origins of catalytic synergism were studied using unmodified rhodium and manganese carbonyls as catalyst precursors during the low-temperature hydroformylation of 3,3-dimethylbut-1-ene to 4,4-dimethylpentanal in n-hexane solvent (T approximately 298 K, P(CO) = 1.0-4.0 MPa, P(H2) = 0.5-2.0 MPa). A dramatic increase in the catalytic rate was observed in the experiments conducted when both metals were used simultaneously. Detailed in-situ FTIR measurements indicated the observable presence of only homometallic complexes during catalysis, e.g., RCORh(CO)(4), Rh(4)(CO)(12), Rh(6)(CO)(16), HMn(CO)(5), and Mn(2)(CO)(10). The kinetics of product formation show a distinct linear-bilinear form in observables: k(1)[RCORh(CO)(4)][CO](-1)[H(2)] + k(2)[RCORh(CO)(4)][HMn(CO)(5)][CO](-1.5). The first term represents the classic unicyclic rhodium catalysis, while the second indicates a hydride attack on an acyl species. These spectroscopic and kinetic results strongly suggest that the origin of synergism is the presence of bimetallic catalytic binuclear elimination and not cluster catalysis. This appears to be the first detailed evidence for such a catalytic mechanism, and its implications for selectivity and nonlinear catalytic activity are accordingly discussed.     

Development of Radiogallium-Labeled Peptides for Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor β (PDGFRβ) Imaging: Influence of Different Linkers

The purpose of this study is to develop peptide-based platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) imaging probes and examine the effects of several linkers, namely un-natural amino acids (D-alanine and β-alanine) and ethylene-glycol (EG), on the properties of Ga-DOTA-(linker)-IPLPPPRRPFFK peptides. Seven radiotracers, ⁶⁷Ga-DOTA-(linker)-IPLPPPRRPFFK peptides, were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. The stability and cell uptake in PDGFRβ positive peptide cells were evaluated in vitro. The biodistribution of [⁶⁷Ga]Ga-DOTA-EG₂-IPLPPPRRPFFK ([⁶⁷Ga]27) and [⁶⁷Ga]Ga-DOTA-EG₄-IPLPPPRRPFFK ([⁶⁷Ga]28), which were selected based on in vitro stability in murine plasma and cell uptake rates, were determined in BxPC3-luc-bearing nu/nu mice. Seven ⁶⁷Ga-labeled peptides were successfully synthesized with high radiochemical yields (>85%) and purities (>99%). All evaluated radiotracers were stable in PBS (pH 7.4) at 37 °C. However, only [⁶⁷Ga]27 and [⁶⁷Ga]28 remained more than 75% after incubation in murine plasma at 37 °C for 1 h. [⁶⁷Ga]27 exhibited the highest BxPC3-luc cell uptake among the prepared radiolabeled peptides. As regards the results of the biodistribution experiments, the tumor-to-blood ratios of [⁶⁷Ga]27 and [⁶⁷Ga]28 at 1 h post-injection were 2.61 ± 0.75 and 2.05 ± 0.77, respectively. Co-injection of [⁶⁷Ga]27 and an excess amount of IPLPPPRRPFFK peptide as a blocking agent can significantly decrease this ratio. However, tumor accumulation was not considered sufficient. Therefore, further probe modification is required to assess tumor accumulation for in vivo imaging.     

The detection of laser-induced structural change of MnO2 using in situ Raman spectroscopy combined with self-modeling curve resolution technique

In this paper, we present the use of one of the self-modeling curve resolution techniques, band-target entropy minimization (BTEM), which is independent of any spectral library, to elucidate Raman pure component spectra of two different manganese oxides arising from laser-induced structural changes. It is often extremely difficult to obtain the pure Raman spectrum of MnO₂ without changing it to another structural form. However, using BTEM to analyze the collected in situ Raman spectra measured as a function of laser exposure time, has enabled us to obtain both the pure component spectra of the original sample and the product due to laser irradiation. This technique proves to be an efficient Raman spectral interpretation method for thermal sensitive solid samples.     

Detailed spectroscopic analysis of complex multi‐component materials using a combination of Raman mapping with BTEM

The combined application of Raman microscopy and self‐modeling curve resolution techniques can address a wide range of material characterization problems. In particular, the combination of Raman microscopy and the Band‐Target Entropy Minimization (BTEM) algorithm has been applied to various organic, inorganic, pharmaceutical and bio‐material related problems. In the present contribution, the principles behind this type of analysis are reviewed, followed by a number of case‐by‐case studies. For each of these examples, a Raman microscopic mapping measurement (consisting of 100 s up to 1000 s of spectra) is performed, followed by BTEM analysis which provides the underlying pure component spectra of the constituents present in the system without the use of any a priori information. In most cases, outstanding signal‐to‐noise ratios for components at the 0.1‐1.0 % level can be obtained, and sometimes trace constituents can also be detected. Subsequently, the identity of the components can be determined by comparison to spectral libraries. Finally, the reconstructed pure component spectra can be further used to obtain the spatial distribution of the constituents present in the sample. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.