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For continuous valued information systems, the attribute values of objects for the same attribute represent not only their ordinal relationship but also their relative distances. Therefore, the classical rough set model is not suitable for deducing attribute reductions and optimal decision rules for continuous valued information systems. Though some discretization methods are proposed to transform the continuous valued information systems into discrete ones, but those methods are too categorical and may lead to loss of information in some cases. To solve such information loss problem, we propose a tolerance rough set model in this paper. With a given level, the proposed model can divide a universe into some maximal tolerance classes. Also two types of lower and upper approximations are defined accordingly. Then the reductions of the maximal tolerance class and optimal decision rules based on the proposed attribute descriptors are defined, and the approximate discernibility function for the maximal tolerance class is constructed and used to compute all the corresponding optimal decision rules via using Boolean reasoning techniques. Finally, the general reductions and consistent reductions for continuous valued information systems are discussed.

The elastic–plastic analysis of heterogeneous Cosserat materials is carried out with the Voronoi cell finite element method (VCFEM) under small deformation. The parametric complementary energy principle of the Cosserat theory is developed. By using the parametric variational principle, the quadratic programming model and finite element formulation for the VCFEM are established. Compared with the conventional finite element method (FEM), the newly developed method requires no tedious iterative procedures, and has no convergence problems. Based on the developed method, the influence of microscopic heterogeneities on the overall mechanical responses of heterogeneous materials is studied. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the method developed.

In this paper, a normalized thoracic coordinate system (NTCS) is defined for rapidly mapping the 4D thoracic organ atlas into individual CT volume images. This coordinate system is defined based on the thoracic skeleton. The coordinate values are normalized by the size of the individual thorax so that this coordinate system is universal to different individuals. For compensating the respiratory motion of the organs, a 4D dynamic torso atlas is introduced. A method for mapping this dynamic atlas into the individual image using the NTCS is also proposed. With this method, the dynamic atlas was mapped into the clinical thoracic CT images and rough positions of the organs were found rapidly. This NTCS-based 4D atlas mapping method may provide a novel way for estimating the thoracic organ positions in low-resolution molecular imaging modalities, as well as in modern 4D medical images.

B4GALT1 is one of seven beta-1, 4-galactosyltransferase (B4GALT) genes, which has distinct functions in various malignances. Here, we evaluate the association of B4GALT1 expression with oncologic outcome in patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). A retrospective analysis of 438 patients with non-metastatic ccRCC at two academic medical centers between 2005 and 2009 was performed. The first cohort with 207 patients was treated as training cohort and the other as validation cohort. Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were created in triplicate from formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded specimens. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed and the association of B4GALT1 expression with standard pathologic features and prognosis were evaluated. B4GALT1 expression was significantly associated with tumor T stage (P

Objectives: To examine whether serum adiponectin or leptin level has the ability to differentiate clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) from other subtypes of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in a Chinese population. Patients and methods: We recruited 198 consecutive patients who were treated with radical or partial nephrectomy in our department from September 2011 to June 2013. Their histological types were all malignant, including clear cell, papillary, chromophobe and unclassified RCC. We also enrolled 86 people with no cancer or cancer-related diseases as normal controls. We measured patients' preoperative blood samples for plasma adiponectin and leptin concentrations using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Statistical methods were used to analyze ccRCC and other subtypes as they relate to serum adiponectin/leptin level and other factors such as body mass index or visceral fat area. Results: In our database, normal controls had significantly higher circulating adiponectin (p < 0.001) and leptin levels (p < 0.001) than patients with RCC. Among the 198 RCC patients, 156 patients had ccRCC while 42 patients had other histological types. Serum adiponectin levels were lower in ccRCC patients than in non-clear-cell RCC patients (p = 0.004). However, the plasma leptin level was not differently distributed between ccRCC and non-ccRCC patients (p = 0.940). In multivariate analysis, we found that serum adiponectin level may be an independent predictor for discriminating ccRCC patients from others (p = 0.004). Furthermore, in the ccRCC subgroup, we observed that men with ccRCC had lower leptin (p < 0.001) and adiponectin (p = 0.002) levels, and diabetic patients had lower plasma adiponectin levels (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Lower plasma adiponectin concentration was related to an increased incidence of ccRCC and may act as an independent predictor for ccRCC. Our study may help define the process from obesity to adipose tissue, to cytokines and finally to ccRCC.

The nuclear modification factor, R AA , of the prompt charmed mesons D 0 , D + and D ∗+ , and their antiparticles, was measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy s N N = 2.76 $$ \sqrt{s_{\mathrm{N}\;\mathrm{N}}}=2.76 $$ TeV in two transverse momentum intervals, 5 < p T < 8 GeV /c and 8 < p T < 16 GeV /c , and in six collision centrality classes. The R AA shows a maximum suppression of a factor of 5-6 in the 10% most central collisions. The suppression and its centrality dependence are compatible within uncertainties with those of charged pions. A comparison with the R AA of non-prompt J /ψ from B meson decays, measured by the CMS Collaboration, hints at a larger suppression of D mesons in the most central collisions.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide peptide (GLPP) scavenges oxygen free radicals that are a key factor in the pathogenesis of renal ischemia reperfusion injury (RIRI). The aim of this study was to determine whether GLPP could attenuate RIRI by counteracting the oxidative stress. The mechanism involved was assessed by an in vivo mouse RIRI model and an in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation model, and tunicamycin-stimulated NRK-52E cells were used to explore the GLPP-mediated alleviation of ER stress. Experimental results showed that renal dysfunction and morphological damage were reduced in GLPP-treated group. The imbalance of redox status was reversed and production of ROS was reduced by GLPP. RIRI-induced mitochondrial- and ER stress-dependent apoptosis were dramatically inhibited in GLPP-treated group. Intriguingly, JNK activation in the kidney with RIRI or hypoxia/reoxygenation was inhibited by GLPP. These results suggest that the protective effect of GLPP against RIRI may be due to reducing oxidative stress, alleviating the mitochondrial and ER stress-dependent apoptosis caused by excessive ROS.

In this paper, we study the issue of attribute reduction, which is important in rough set theory. However, it has been proved to find the minimal attribute reduction is a NP-hard problem. Numerous heuristic based algorithms have been presented to try to solve this problem. In our paper, we use an improved artificial bee colony algorithm(IABCMR) to find the minimal reduction. We firstly define the significance of an attribute. And then, a selection operator is introduced into the artificial bee colony algorithm to select attributes using the significance as the heuristic information. Thirdly, a crossover is designed as the search strategy of the IABCMR to find more reductions. Finally, several experiments are used to compare the work with some other algorithms, and the results show that this algorithm is effective on big data sets.

Various generalized rough set models based on successor (predecessor) neighborhoods were discussed in the literature. In this paper, by using the intersection of all successor (predecessor) neighborhoods which contain the same object as knowledge granule, the subset lower and upper approximations and concept lower and upper approximations are defined. The properties of these kinds of approximations are given, and compared with the properties of other rough approximations.

The utility of the method is exemplified by the preparation of a photoelectrically interesting multiphenyl compound [cf.

Set-valued information system is an important formal framework for the development of decision support systems. We focus on the decision rules acquisition for the inconsistent disjunctive set-valued ordered decision information system in this paper. In order to derive optimal decision rules for an inconsistent disjunctive set-valued ordered decision information system, we define the concept of reduct of an object. By constructing the dominance discernibility function for an object, we compute reducts of the object via utilizing Boolean reasoning techniques, and then the corresponding optimal decision rules are induced. Finally, we discuss the certain reduct of the inconsistent disjunctive set-valued ordered decision information system, which can be used to simplify all certain decision rules as much as possible.

Multiple buffers parallel-encryption technology uses multiple buffers, takes advantage of the data transfer bus and saves data transmission time. By keeping encryption chip been in working condition, can Improve the efficiency of encryption chip, and effectively improve the performance of cryptographic equipment. Using software encryption scheduling technology can achieve multiple buffers parallel encryption schedule; can increase the speed of encryption and decryption devices. Finally improve the application level password system power business.

Based on the solubilities of pimelic acid in ether or tetrahydrofuran or ethanol or methanol, the experimental data were correlated and compared with Apelblat equation, simplified Apelblat equation and λh equation, respectively. The results showed that the simplified Apelblat equation had better agreement with experimental data.

Background and Objectives: The increasing clinical use of torso positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) demands automated segmentation of torso organs from PET/CT images. We attempt to use the multi-atlas segmentation approach for trunk organ segmentation from the low-dose CT images of PET/CT. Since atlas selection is a prerequisite step for multi-atlas segmentation, this study focuses on evaluating the performance of different atlas selection strategies for torso organ segmentation. Methods: We evaluated two criteria for atlas selection, including image similarity and body mass index (BMI) difference between the atlas and the target image. Based on the two criteria, ten atlases are selected and registered to the target image, followed by the label fusion step to achieve final segmentation. Results: The BMI criterion yields comparable segmentation accuracy to the image similarity criterion but with much less computation time. All the evaluated atlas selection methods have Dice >0.9 for the lungs, heart, and liver and Dice

density and viscosity of 16α,17α-epoxyprogesterone solutions in chloroform were determined over the concentration range up to ∼1.9 mol l−1 at temperatures from 287.65 to 321.15 K. The relative viscosity data were correlated using the extended Jones-Dole equation, a good accuracy of the correlation being obtained.

The solubility of NaHS in different solvents had been determined from 297.85 to 342.55 K by an analytical method. A solubility model is proposed and the solubilities calculated by the model show good agreement with experimental data. It provided the basic data for the synthesis of isopropyl mercaptan in industry.

The solubilities of pimelic acid in ionic liquids [EMIM][HSO4], [PMIM]Br, [i-PMIM][HSO4], [BMIM]Br, and[BMIM][HSO4] are determined with the suitable experimental methods and apparatus. The experimental data of solubilities are correlated with the Apelblat equation. The solubilities correlated by the model are in good agreement with experimental data.

Bone loss is one of the major complications of advanced cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. Extensive research has revealed that the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL), which is considered to be a key factor in osteoclast differentiation, plays an important role in cancer-associated bone resorption. Therefore, agents that can suppress this bone loss have therapeutic potential. In this study, we detected whether quetiapine (QUE), a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug, can inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation in vitro and prevent human breast cancer-induced bone loss in vivo. RAW 264.7 cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) were used to detect inhibitory effect of QUE on osteoclastogenesis in vitro. Mouse model of breast cancer metastasis to bone was used to test suppressive effect of QUE on breast cancer-induced bone loss in vivo. Our results show that QUE can inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation from RAW 264.7 cells and BMMs without signs of cytotoxicity. Moreover, QUE reduced the occurrence of MDA-MB-231 cell-induced osteolytic bone loss by suppressing the differentiation of osteoclasts. Finally, molecular analysis revealed that it is by inhibiting RANKL-mediated MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways that QUE suppressed the osteoclast differentiation. We demonstrate, for the first time, the novel suppressive effects of QUE on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation in vitro and human breast cancer-induced bone loss in vivo, suggesting that QUE may be a potential therapeutic drug for osteolysis treatment.

Urea is generated by the urea cycle enzymes, which are mainly in the liver but are also ubiquitously expressed at low levels in other tissues. The metabolic process is altered in several conditions such as by diets, hormones, and diseases. Urea is then eliminated through fluids, especially urine. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) has been utilized to evaluate renal function for decades. New roles for urea in the urinary system, circulation system, respiratory system, digestive system, nervous system, etc., were reported lately, which suggests clinical significance of urea.

Jk antigens, which were identified as urea transporter B (UT-B) in the plasma membrane of erythrocytes, and which determine the Kidd blood type in humans, are involved in transfusion medicine, and even in organ transplantation. The Jk(a-b-) blood type is a consequence of a silent Slc14A1 gene caused by various mutations related to lineage. In addition, the specific mutations related to hypertension and metabolic syndrome cannot be ignored. Genome-wide association studies established Slc14A1 as a related gene of bladder cancer and some genotypes are associated with higher morbidity. This chapter aims to introduce the clinical significance of urea transporters.

Single-view x-ray luminescence computed tomography (XLCT) imaging has short data collection time that allows non-invasively and fast resolving the three-dimensional (3-D) distribution of x-ray-excitable nanophosphors within small animal in vivo. However, the single-view reconstruction suffers from a severe ill-posed problem because only one angle data is used in the reconstruction. To alleviate the ill-posedness, in this paper, we propose a wavelet-based reconstruction approach, which is achieved by applying a wavelet transformation to the acquired singe-view measurements. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, in vivo experiment was performed based on a cone beam XLCT imaging system. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method cannot only use the full set of measurements produced by CCD, but also accelerate image reconstruction while preserving the spatial resolution of the reconstruction. Hence, it is suitable for dynamic XLCT imaging study.

A novel type of transformation was discovered serendipitously during the Barbier-type allenylation reaction of aromatic ketones promoted by the metal, tin, in aqueous media. Additionally, a series of new, highly functionalized 2-bromo-4-aryl-1,3-pentadienes could be obtained with good yields in this reaction. This cascade reaction shows the unique properties of the metal, tin. Furthermore, it is actually a cascade reaction which involves two steps: one is the Barbier-type allenylation of the carbonyl compound, and the other is an SN2′ type addition–elimination reaction. Notably, this reaction has the advantages of simple, mild conditions and is easy to operate. Furthermore, the corresponding product could be applied to various coupling reactions or other diversified transformations.

Jk antigens, which were identified as urea transporter B (UT-B) in the plasma membrane of erythrocytes, and which determine the Kidd blood type in humans, are involved in transfusion medicine, and even in organ transplantation. The Jk(a-b-) blood type is a consequence of a silent Slc14A1 gene caused by various mutations related to lineage. In addition, the specific mutations related to hypertension and metabolic syndrome cannot be ignored. Genome-wide association studies established Slc14A1 as a related gene of bladder cancer and some genotypes are associated with higher morbidity. This chapter aims to introduce the clinical significance of urea transporters.

Laboratory mice routinely are housed at 20 to 22 °C-well below the murine thermoneutral zone of 29 to 34 °C. Chronic cold stress requires greater energy expenditure to maintain core body temperature and can lead to the failure of mouse models to emulate human physiology. We hypothesized that mice housed at ambient temperatures of 20 to 22 °C are chronically cold-stressed, have greater energy expenditure, and have high glucose utilization in brown adipose tissue. To test our hypotheses, we used indirect calorimetry to measure energy expenditure and substrate utilization in C57BL/6J and Crl:NU-Foxn1(nu) nude mice at routine vivarium (21 °C), intermediate (26 °C), and heated (31 °C) housing temperatures. We also examined the activation of interscapular brown adipose tissue, the primary site of nonshivering thermogenesis, via thermography and glucose uptake in this region by using positron emission tomography. Energy expenditure of mice was significantly higher at routine vivarium temperatures compared with intermediate and heated temperatures and was associated with a shift in metabolism toward glucose utilization. Brown adipose tissue showed significant activation at routine vivarium and intermediate temperatures in both hirsuite and nude mice. Crl:NU-Foxn1(nu) mice experienced greater cold stress than did C57BL/6J mice. Our data indicate mice housed under routine vivarium conditions are chronically cold stress. This novel use of thermography can measure cold stress in laboratory mice housed in vivaria, a key advantage over classic metabolic measurement tools. Therefore, thermography is an ideal tool to evaluate novel husbandry practices designed to alleviate murine cold stress.

In ordered decision information systems, by taking the interval as basic knowledge granules, lower and upper approximations of unions of decision classes can be defined, and interval decision rules can be induced. Definite interval decision rules with univocal decision, induced by intervals in lower approximations of every decision class, can be used in classification for ordinal data. To the end of optimizing all the definite interval decision rules, definite positive region is defined and the concept of definite reduct is proposed. Discernibility function is constructed and used to compute definite reducts by Boolean reasoning technique.

The dominance-based rough set approach (DRSA) takes dominating sets or dominated sets as basic knowledge granules to define lower and upper approximations in an ordered decision information system. The DRSA can cope with inconsistency and draw “at least” decision rules (or “at most” decision rules). By these rules, an object can be assigned to classes not worse (or not better) than a specific decision class, however, it can not be assigned to decision classes not worse than a specific decision class and not better than another specific decision class at the same time, and particularly, it can not be assigned to one decision class. So, DRSA can not be conveniently used in classification problem for ordered information systems. To solve this problem, we employ “interval”, an intersection of the dominating set of one object and the dominated set of another object, as a basic knowledge granule, and use intervals to define the lower and upper approximations. By this new model, the “at least and at most” decision rules, which can assign objects to the decision classes not worse than a specific decision class and not better than another specific decision class, can be induced.

PETbox4 is a new, fully tomographic bench top PET scanner dedicated to high sensitivity and high resolution imaging of mice. This manuscript characterizes the performance of the prototype system using the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4–2008 standards, including studies of sensitivity, spatial resolution, energy resolution, scatter fraction, count-rate performance and image quality. The PETbox4 performance is also compared with the performance of PETbox, a previous generation limited angle tomography system. PETbox4 consists of four opposing flat-panel type detectors arranged in a box like geometry. Each panel is made by a 24 × 50 pixelated array of 1.82 × 1.82 × 7mm bismuth germanate (BGO) scintillation crystals with a crystal pitch of 1.90mm. Each of these scintillation arrays is coupled to two Hamamatsu H8500 photomultiplier tubes via a glass light guide. Volumetric images for a 45 × 45 × 95 mm field of view (FOV) are reconstructed with a maximum likelihood expectation maximization (ML-EM) algorithm incorporating a system model based on a parameterized detector response. With an energy window of 150–650 keV, the peak absolute sensitivity is approximately 18% at the center of FOV. The measured crystal energy resolution ranges from 13.5% to 48.3% full width at half maximum (FWHM), with a mean of 18.0%. The intrinsic detector spatial resolution is 1.5mm FWHM in both transverse and axial directions. The reconstructed image spatial resolution for different locations in the FOV ranges from 1.32mm to 1.93 mm, with an average of 1.46 mm. The peak noise equivalent count rate for the mouse-sized phantom is 35 kcps for a total activity of 1.5 MBq (40 µCi) and the scatter fraction is 28%. The standard deviation in the uniform region of the image quality phantom is 5.7%. The recovery coefficients range from 0.10 to 0.93. In comparison to the first generation two panel PETbox system, PETbox4 achieves substantial improvements on sensitivity and spatial resolution. The overall performance demonstrates that the PETbox4 scanner is suitable for producing high quality images for molecular imaging based biomedical research.

The temporal and spatial patterning involved in the specification, differentiation, and myelination by oligodendroglia is coordinated in part by the activation and repression of various transcriptional programs. Olig2 is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor necessary for oligodendroglial development and expressed continuously throughout the lineage. Despite evidence for the critical role of Olig2 in oligodendroglial specification and differentiation, the function for Olig2 during later stages of oligodendroglial development, namely, the transition into mature oligodendrocytes (OLs) and the formation of the myelin sheath, remains unclear. To address the possibility for a stage-specific role, we deleted Olig2 in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) under the control of the CNPase-promoter or in immature OLs under the inducible proteolipid protein promoter. As expected, ablation of Olig2 in OPCs significantly inhibits differentiation, resulting in hypomyelination. However, deletion of the Olig2 gene in immature OLs significantly enhances the maturation process and accelerates the kinetics of myelination/remyelination. Underlying the stage-specific roles for Olig2 is the compensatory expression and function of Olig1, a transcription factor that promotes OL maturation and (re)myelination. Olig1 expression is significantly reduced upon Olig2 deletion in OPCs but is dramatically increased by nearly threefold when deleted in immature OLs. By enforcing expression of Olig1 into OPCs in a null Olig2 background, we demonstrate that overexpression of Olig1 is sufficient to rescue the differentiation phenotype and partially compensates for the Olig2 deletionin vitro. Our results suggest a stage-specific regulatory role for Olig2, mediated by Olig1 that conveys opposing functions on the differentiation and maturation of oligodendrocytes.

PETBox4 is a preclinical system dedicated to imaging mice. This system is composed by four detector panels, each made by a 24 × 50 array of 1.825 × 1.825 × 7 mm BGO crystals. The face to face crystal separation of the detectors is 5 cm, generating a 4.5 × 4.5 × 9.4 cm field of view (FOV). The result is a tomograph with a large detection solid angle, which in combination with a wide open energy window achieves high peak detection efficiency (~17%). Despite the small size of the typical imaged subjects, these design features also increase the fraction of accepted crystal and object scattered events, which reduce the overall image signal to noise ratio. In this work, we investigated the system acquisition configuration settings necessary to optimize the NEC (Noise equivalent Counts) and image quality. A Monte Carlo simulation software package was used (GATE) to investigate the different types of events detected as a function of energy window settings and multiple event acceptance policy. This was done for a realistic distribution of activity and attenuation coefficients in the PETBox4 FOV, based on emission data from an in-vivo preclinical PET image from an average sized mouse (30g). Based on the simulations, the NEC rate was optimized for a dual energy window that accepts both low (50-175 keY) and high (410-650 keY) energy events. This indicates that low energy events that are composed mostly from single crystal scatter contribute useful image information, while events in the middle of the energy spectrum (175keV-410keV), tend to include large fractions of crystal backscatter as well as object scatter and do not contribute significantly in data signal to noise ratio. As a result of the same simulations, a new policy for the acceptance of multiple events was introduced, implementing a "KiIlAIl" multiple policy, further improving the NEe. Overall, these two optimization parameters improved the NEC rate by 56%, providing a significant advantage in image signal to noise ratio.

Two existing DFT/FFT algorithms and a new prime-point Fast Fourier Transform algorithm are implemented with different serial and parallel processors. The evaluation results show that previous multiplication computational cost criterion is no longer applicable to the current parallel implementation. Total computational cost including add/subtract operation is one of the key factors affecting the speed and efficiency of implementation of parallel architecture.

Quetiapine (Que), a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug (APD), can prevent myelin from breakdown without immune attack. Multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune reactive inflammation demyelinating disease, is triggered by activated myelin-specific T lymphocytes (T cells). In this study, we investigated the potential efficacy of Que as an immune-modulating therapeutic agent for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model for MS. Que treatment was initiated on the onset of MOG(35-55) peptide induced EAE mice and the efficacy of Que on modulating the immune response was determined by Flow Cytometry through analyzing CD4(+)/CD8(+) populations and the proliferation of effector T cells (CD4(+)CD25(-)) in peripheral immune organs. Our results show that Que dramatically attenuates the severity of EAE symptoms. Que treatment decreases the extent of CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cell infiltration into the spinal cord and suppresses local glial activation, thereby diminishing the loss of mature oligodendrocytes and myelin breakdown in the spinal cord of EAE mice. Our results further demonstrate that Que treatment decreases the CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cell populations in lymph nodes and spleens of EAE mice and inhibits either MOG(35-55) or anti-CD3 induced proliferation as well as IL-2 production of effector T cells (CD4(+)CD25(-)) isolated from EAE mice spleen. Together, these findings suggest that Que displays an immune-modulating role during the course of EAE, and thus may be a promising candidate for treatment of MS.

PETBox4, currently under development at the Crump Institute is a new tomograph dedicated to preclinical imaging of mice. This system presents a significant improvement on sensitivity and spatial resolution compared to the first generation PETBox. We report here on its design and initial performance characteristics.

Micro-CT is widely used in preclinical studies of small animals. Due to the low soft-tissue contrast in typical studies, segmentation of soft tissue organs from noncontrast enhanced micro-CT images is a challenging problem. Here, we propose an atlas-based approach for estimating the major organs in mouse micro-CT images. A statistical atlas of major trunk organs was constructed based on 45 training subjects. The statistical shape model technique was used to include inter-subject anatomical variations. The shape correlations between different organs were described using a conditional Gaussian model. For registration, first the high-contrast organs in micro-CT images were registered by fitting the statistical shape model, while the low-contrast organs were subsequently estimated from the high-contrast organs using the conditional Gaussian model. The registration accuracy was validated based on 23 noncontrast-enhanced and 45 contrast-enhanced micro-CT images. Three different accuracy metrics (Dice coefficient, organ volume recovery coefficient, and surface distance) were used for evaluation. The Dice coefficients vary from 0.45 ± 0.18 for the spleen to 0.90 ± 0.02 for the lungs, the volume recovery coefficients vary from 0.96 ± 0.10 for the liver to 1.30 ± 0.75 for the spleen, the surface distances vary from 0.18 ± 0.01 mm for the lungs to 0.72 ± 0.42 mm for the spleen. The registration accuracy of the statistical atlas was compared with two publicly available single-subject mouse atlases, i.e., the MOBY phantom and the DIGIMOUSE atlas, and the results proved that the statistical atlas is more accurate than the single atlases. To evaluate the influence of the training subject size, different numbers of training subjects were used for atlas construction and registration. The results showed an improvement of the registration accuracy when more training subjects were used for the atlas construction. The statistical atlas-based registration was also compared with the thin-plate spline based deformable registration, commonly used in mouse atlas registration. The results revealed that the statistical atlas has the advantage of improving the estimation of low-contrast organs.

This study focuses on quantification of probe concentration in major organs of small animal micro-PET images. In order to delineate organ ROIs, a statistical mouse atlas is registered to the micro-PET image. This statistical atlas is trained from 22 organ-labeled micro-CT images using Principle Component Analysis (PCA). By tuning the shape-controlling parameters of the atlas, we are able to adapt the atlas anatomy to fit the individual subject of the micro-PET image. To reduce the spillover effect, voxel confidence values are computed and are used to calculate confidence-weighted mean concentration of each organ. Experiments were performed on both simulated images and in-vivo micro-PET emission images. Results showed that the registration-based yielded comparable accuracy to the quantification based-on ground truth organ regions, and the confidence-weighted averaging obtains more accurate results than direct averaging of organ concentrations.

With the development of in-vivo free-space fluorescence molecular imaging and multi-modality imaging for small animals, there is a need for new reconstruction methods for real animal-shape models with a large dataset. In this paper we are reporting a novel hybrid adaptive finite element algorithm for fluorescence tomography reconstruction, based on a linear scheme. Two different inversion strategies (Conjugate Gradient and Landweber iterations) are separately applied to the first mesh level and the succeeding levels. The new algorithm was validated by numerical simulations of a 3-D mouse atlas, based on the latest free-space setup of fluorescence tomography with 360 degrees geometry projections. The reconstructed results suggest that we are able to achieve high computational efficiency and spatial resolution for models with irregular shape and inhomogeneous optical properties.

The incompleteness and insufficiency in the investigation of rough continuity in Pawlak rough function model are pointed out. Proposing the e-d definition of rough continuity of a discrete function, the concept of Pawlak rough continuity is deduced in the form of a proposition. A series of operating properties of roughly continuous functions are discussed such as maximization, minimization, complementarity, etc.. By an opposite example, we point out that the sufficient condition in the intermediate value theorem Pawlak proposed is not valid. An improved intermediate value theorem of roughly continuous discrete functions on closed intervals is then proposed. The concept of connectivity function closely connected with the rough continuity is introduced, by which the improved intermediate value theorem is proved strictly. Moreover, the concept of rough fix-points of discrete functions is introduced. The rough fix-point theorem of roughly continuous functions is proposed and studied, and some new results are achieved.

Conjugate gradient method is verified to be efficient for nonlinear optimization problems of large-dimension data. In this paper, a penalized linear and nonlinear combined conjugate gradient method for the reconstruction of fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) is presented. The algorithm combines the linear conjugate gradient method and the nonlinear conjugate gradient method together based on a restart strategy, in order to take advantage of the two kinds of conjugate gradient methods and compensate for the disadvantages. A quadratic penalty method is adopted to gain a nonnegative constraint and reduce the illposedness of the problem. Simulation studies show that the presented algorithm is accurate, stable, and fast. It has a better performance than the conventional conjugate gradient-based reconstruction algorithms. It offers an effective approach to reconstruct fluorochrome information for FMT.

On the theory and application of rough derivatives in rough function model, the notion of generalized rough functions is defined to improve the definition of higher order rough derivatives Pawlak proposed, and analyze the functional features of roughly derived functions and higher order roughly derived functions. The rough extremum definition of discrete functions is given, Fermat theorem and Rolle theorem of roughly smooth discrete functions are proposed and proved, which complete and perfect the theoretical foundation of rough derivatives application in rough function model. The concepts that are rough monotone and rough convexity of discrete functions are defined. By comparing with the derivative application of real continuous function, a series of theorems are put forward which are the relation theorem of rough derivatives and rough monotone, the two sufficient conditions of rough extrema, the two relation theorems of rough derivatives and rough convexity. Moreover, some new results are achieved such as the sufficient condition of rough smoothing of discrete functions, etc.

Cone-beam x-ray luminescence computedtomography (CB-XLCT), as an emerging imaging tech-nique, plays an important role in in vivo small animal imag-ing studies. However, CB-XLCT suffers from low-spatialresolution due to the ill-posed nature of reconstruction. Weimprove the imaging performance of CB-XLCT by using amultiband excitation-resolved imaging scheme combinedwith principal component analysis. To evaluate the perfor-mance of the proposed method, the physical phantomexperiment is performed with a custom-made XLCT/XCTimaging system. The experimental results validate the fea-sibility of the method, where two adjacent nanophosphors(with an edge-to-edge distance of 2.4 mm) can be located. © 2015 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.20.7.070501] Keywords: image reconstruction techniques; optical tomography;x-ray imaging; hybrid imaging.Paper 150274LR received Apr. 26, 2015; accepted for publicationJun. 9, 2015; published online Jul. 9, 2015.

Background To evaluate the association between various components of body composition and overall survival of patients treated with targeted therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma. Methods This retrospective study included 124 Chinese patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who had been treated with targeted therapy from 2008 to 2012 at Fudan University Cancer Center. The L3 plane from a computed tomography scan was analyzed. Area and density were recorded as quantitative and quality measures. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportion hazard regression models were constructed to calculate the crude and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of various components of body composition for overall survival. X-tile software was used to search for optimal cutoffs for male and female patients and the concordance index evaluated incremental changes in prognostication. Results After adjusting for age, sex and Heng risk stratification, only visceral adipose tissue index (HR 0.981, p = 0.002) and subcutaneous adipose tissue index (HR 0.987, p = 0.048) were independently associated with overall survival. Visceral adipose tissue remained a significant prognostic factor (HR 0.997, p = 0.005) when the influence of body mass index was included. Using defined cutoffs, patients with low VAT had double the death rate (p = 0.007). Visceral adipose tissue also added significant benefit to Heng risk stratification. Further exploratory analysis revealed that visceral adipose tissue may be an indicator of nutritional status in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. Conclusion Radiologic measurement of VAT is an independent prognostic factor for Asian patients treated with targeted therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Thoracic organ segmentation from the three dimensional (3D) medical images always needs an initial position. We developed a relative thoracic cage coordinate system (RTCCS) for localizing the organs in chest CT volume data. To test the RTCCS, we first extracted the 3D ribs and heart-wall from the segmented atlas of male American visible human, and then we built up a RTCCS according to the position of the ribs and calculated the relative coordinate values of all the voxels in the heart-wall. Next we segmented the 3D ribs from the female American visible human CT data and built up another RTCCS on these ribs. At last we used the relative coordinate values of the male visible human's heart-wall to reconstruct a new 3D heart-wall in the thoracic cage of the female visible human CT data, getting an approximate position of the female visible human's heart.

The solubilities of pimelic acid in ionic liquid 1-isopropyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([i-PMIM]Br) are determined with the suitable experimental method and apparatus. The experimental data of solubilities are correlated with the exponential function equation. The solubilities correlated by the model show good agreement with experimental data.

e15545 Background: There is an urgent need for biomarker-driven treatment selection in renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) that could provide rational guidance for optimal treatment selection. The objectiv...