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Background. There is no accurate radiological measurement to estimate the severity of pediatrics acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS). We validated the effectiveness of an adult radiographic assessment of lung edema (RALE) score in PARDS. Aim. To assess the severity and prognosis of PARDS based on a chest radiograph (CXR) RALE scoring method. Methods. Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC) criteria were used to diagnose PARDS. General demographics, pulmonary complications, and 28‐day mortality of the patients were recorded. Subgroups were compared by prognosis (survive and death) and etiology (infection and noninfection). Two observers calculated RALE independently. Each quadrant of CXR was scored by consolidation scores 0 (none alveolar opacity), 1 (extent 75%) and density scores 1 (hazy), 2 (moderate), and 3 (dense). Quadrant score equals consolidation score times density score. Total score equals to the sum of four quadrants scores. The ROC curve and survival curve were established, and the optimal cutoff score for discrimination prognosis was set. Results. 116 PARDS (72 boys and 44 girls) and 463 CXRs were enrolled. The median age was 25 months (5 months, 60.8 months) and with a mortality of 37.9% (44/116). The agreement between two independent observers was excellent (ICC = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99). Day 3 score was independently associated with better survival ( p < 0.001 ). The area under the curve of ROC was 0.773 (95% CI: 0.709–0.838). The cutoff score was 21 (sensitivity 71.7%, specificity 76.5%), and the hazard ratio (HR) was 9.268 (95% CI: 1.257–68.320). The pulmonary complication showed an HR of 3.678 (95% CI: 1.174–11.521) for the discrimination. Conclusion. CXR RALE score can be used in PARDS for discriminating the prognosis and has a better agreement among radiologist and pediatrician. PARDS with pulmonary complications, day 3 score whether greater than 21 points, have a better predictive effectiveness.

Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease caused by zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2) gene mutation and has various clinical manifestations including intellectual disability/global developmental delay, unusual facies and multiple congenital malformations. This article reports the clinical features and gene mutations of three children diagnosed with MWS by ZEB2 gene analysis. All three children had Hirschsprung disease and unusual facies. One child died of severe heart failure and pneumonia at the age of 4 months. Global developmental delay was not discovered by her parents due to her young age. The other two children had severe global developmental delay. All three children carried a de novo heterozygous nonsense mutation in the ZEB2 gene, among which c.756C > A (p.Y252X) had not been reported before. Such mutations produced truncated proteins and were highly pathogenic. MWS is presented with strong clinical and genetic heterogeneity. Clinicians should consider the possibility of MWS when a child has unusual facies of MWS, intellectual disability/global developmental delay and multiple congenital malformations. Gene detection helps to make a confirmed diagnosis.

The connection of atomic clusters has been investigated using molecular-dynamics simulation to explain the splitting of the second peak of the pair-distribution function in amorphous alloys. It is found that the unevenness of the connecting style of atomic clusters results in the splitting of the second peak and the two subpeaks is caused by a three-atom-shared connection and a one-atom-shared connection between atomic clusters. The underlying reason is that metallic glasses have higher density than liquid alloys and a different connecting style of atomic clusters from crystals.

It is necessary to assess network video quality in real-time that depends on network transmission statement to subjective visual without any referenced video sequences.Focusing on distortion of videos caused by network packet loss,it is found that network packet loss in different frames with different decoding types causes different sustained effects of video distortion,and it exists significant association between visual feelings caused by network packet loss and movement activity of lost video content.Hence,a no-reference assessment model for video quality is proposed based on movement activity.This model analyzes the damage caused by the packet loss of the code stream received by client,and marks the damaged macro block to associate the damaged macro blocks′distortion continuing effect and movement activity with videos'quality.Then,it completes the quality assessment of videos without reference of any original video sequence or video decoding.Experimental results show that this method has a small amount of calculation,a high real-time and a high degree of consistency with the subjective assessment results.

Background reconstruction is a fundanmental task of video and image processing.To overcome disadvantages of traditonal backgound reconctruction algorithms,such as complex computation and distortional backgound,a pratical backgound reconstruction algorithm was proposed based on pixel sequence pattern classification.The pixel sequence patterns,extracted through calculating differences between sequential two frames,were classified by means of pixel sequence patterns' charateristics determined by those differences.Furthermore,independent background extraction and background update mechanisms were destined for pixels with different pixel sequence patterns.Simulation results indicate that correct backgrounds of video with moving targets can be reconstructed without the models of background and moving targets.And,the background can be effiently updated when backgound is changed.

EXPRESS is a powerful object-oriented data model descriptive language and independent of any platform. However, it is a kind of descriptive language rather than a programming language. This brings difficulty to implement the EXPRESS data model on a computer and it also undoubtedly brings a big problem with the STEP data model processing so that we have to translate EXPRESS language model into a certain programming language model. In this paper, an approach is presented to translate the EXPRESS language model into the C language model. In addition, this paper proves the validity of this translation theoretically.

Grazing is one of the major human activities which lead to disturbance on grassland ecosystem. Quantifying the effect of grazing on the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration ( Q10 ) is essential for accurate assessment of carbon budget in grassland ecosystem. This study was conducted on the grazing gradients experiment platform in Hulunber meadow steppe. Soil respiration was measured by a dynamic closed chamber method (equipped with Li 6400-09, Lincoln, NE, USA) during the growing season in 2011. The results showed that soil respiration had significant seasonal variation and the maximum occurred in July, which was mainly dominated by temperature. The order of average soil respiration during the period from May to September in different treatments was G1GOG2G3G4G5. Comparing with non-grazing treatment, Q10 under heavy grazing conditions (0. 92 Au hm-2) was reduced by about 10% , and was increased a little under light grazing conditions (0. 23 Au hm-2). There was a significant negative correlation between Q15 and grazing intensities (r = 0. 944, P0. 05) . Grazing could decrease the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration to different degrees. The Q10 under different grazing gradients had positive linear regression relationships with aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, soil organic carbon and soil moisture. They could explain 71.0%-85.2% variations of Q10. It was suggested that the variation of Q10 was mainly determined by the change of biotic and environmental factors due to grazing.

To summarize the chest CT features and outcome of necrotizing pneumonia (NP) caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children and to review the changes of common inflammatory parameters in NP patients to help clinicians understand the proper timing of CT scan.The imaging data from 30 cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in NP group and 24 cases with non-necrotizing Mycoplasma penumoniae pneumonia (control group) were analyzed retrospectively. The changes of common inflammatory parameters in NP group and control group were compared.(1) The chest CT findings of NP (30 cases): 28 cases showed unilateral pneumonia, and 20 cases showed single lobar consolidation, 10 cases had multiple lobes involvement; pulmonary cavities were seen in 27 cases. There were decreased enhancement areas in the consolidation (22 cases). (2) The dynamic changes of CT signs during follow-up: The CT scan performed during the 1 - 2 months after onset of disease (23 cases) showed that pulmonary consolidation in 2 cases (9%) were absorbed, 18 cases (78%)had cavities in lung, 16 cases (70%) had pleural thickening, 2 cases (9%) atelectasis and 1 case (4%) bronchopleural fistula;the CT scan performed during the 2 - 3 months after onset of disease (11 cases) showed pulmonary consolidation in 7 cases (64%) were absorbed, 10 cases (91%) pleural thickness, 7 cases (64%) with cavities in lung, 5 cases (45%) atelectasis, 2 cases (18%) pulmonary lobe cysts and 1 case bronchopleural fistula. The CT scan performed at 3.5 years of disease course (10 cases) showed that there were no pulmonary consolidation in any of the cases, 4 cases had atelectasis, 4 cases had pulmonary cysts, and 1 case had band-like scars. (3) There were significant differences between NP group and control group in the maximum peripheral blood WBC, proportion of neutrophil and C-reactive protein(CRP, mg/L) (P0.01, 0.01, 0.001, respectively), and there was significant difference between the 2 groups in the duration of fever, abnormal WBC(d) and CRP(d) (P0.001).The chest CT features of NP caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children were single lobular consolidation in most cases, NP had decreased parenchymal enhancement and cavity in the consolidation, and recovery was slow, the outcome included recovery, atelectasis or lobar cystic degeneration. The clinicians should pay more attention to the common inflammatory parameters when they suspect the Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is progressing into necrosis and make correct decision for chest CT examination.

To explore the normal aerification of paranasal sinuses in Chinese children with magnetic resonance imaging.Two hundred and eighty Chinese children aged from 17 days to 14 years without any symptoms related to sinusitis were statistically analyzed in MRI features, including counting the number of paranasal sinus pneumatization and the maximum axial and sagittal area of the left maxillary.The pneumatization rate of maxillary sinus was 85% in children aged from 0 to 1 years. Until 3 years the pneumatization rate of maxillary sinus was 95% and there was no significant difference in boys and girls (χ(2) = 0.741, P = 0.389). The pneumatization rate of maxillary sinus reached 100% after 4 years old. The pneumatization rate of ethmoid sinus was 100% in this study. The pneumatization rate of sphenoid sinus was 0 within 1 year old, 49% within 4 years old and 100% after 7 years old. There was no significant difference in boys and girls on the pneumatization rate of sphenoid sinus (χ(2) = 2.452, P = 0.117). The pneumatization rate of frontal sinus was 0 within 5 years old, 62% within 9 years old and 95% after 10 years old. There was no significant difference in boys and girls on the pneumatization rate of frontal sinus (χ(2) = 0.124, P = 0.724). The axial and sagittal maximum area of maxillary sinus was (689.28 ± 221.79) and (659.76 ± 263.31) mm(2) in girls and (668.13 ± 206.38) and (638.60 ± 207.67) mm(2) in boys. The differences were significant (t = -19.78, P0.001; t = -19.89, P0.001).The study of the development and normal aerification of paranasal sinuses of children can help radiologist make correct diagnosis of paranasal sinuses in children.

To evaluate chest radiographic findings of children with 2009 influenza (H1N1) virus infection.Data of 235 patients who had microbiologically confirmed H1N1 infection and available chest radiograph obtained between May 1(st) 2009 and Jan. 31(st) 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The final study group was divided on the basis of clinical course [group 1 mild, outpatients without hospitalization (n = 172); group 2 moderate, inpatients with brief hospitalization (n = 49); group 3 severe, ICU admission (n = 14)]. Four pediatric radiologists reviewed all the chest radiographs of lung parenchyma, airway, pleural abnormalities and also anatomic distribution of the disease.No significant sex or age differences were found among the study groups (P0.05). The mean interval between the onset of clinical symptom and the initial chest radiography was (5.91 ± 1.64) days (group 1), (3.60 ± 1.43) days (group 2) and (1.21 ± 0.41) days (group 3), respectively. The differences among the three groups were significant statistically (χ(2) = 13.368, P0.01). The ratio of abnormality presented at initial chest X-ray was 79.7% in group 1, 91.8% in group 2 and 100% in group 3. Radiographically, there were prominent peribronchial markings (group 1, 55.2%; group 2, 83.7%; and group 3, 78.6%), consolidation (group 1, 34.3%; group 2, 69.4%; and group 3, 100.0%), hyperinflation (group 1, 22.1%; group 2, 44.9%; and group 3, 50.0%) and ground glass opacity (group 1, 0.6%; group 2, 2.0%; and group 3, 14.3%) in the chest radiographs. The differences of presenting were statistically significant (P0.01). In the severe group, the lesions distributed diffusely and asymmetrically with multi-lobe involvements.In children with 2009 influenza A H1N1 viral infection, the interval between the onset of clinical symptom and initial chest radiography, the ratio of abnormality presented at initial chest X-ray film and the severity of chest film are parallel to their clinical situation.

This paper presented Independent Component Analysis (ICA) Hard-IP integration in System on Programmable Chip (SOPC) platform. The ICA component can discover the main component for original signal in multiple fetching signal sources, and it has been used in biomedical signal processing such as electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis. The proposed system consists of a programmable CPU, ICA processing units, system bus, communication, and display interface. The experimental results showed that the proposed design implemented on Altera DE2 FPGA development board, can achieve real-time signal separation and display at 100 MHz. The whole design consists of 29,640 logic elements.