bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Alterations in Left Ventricular Structure and Diastolic Function in Professional Football Players: Assessment by Tissue Doppler Imaging and Left Ventricular Flow Propagation Velocity
Authors: Tumuklu M. Murat , Ildizli Muge , Ceyhan Koksal , Cinar Cahide Soydas
Published: January 2007

Background: Long‐term regular exercise is associated with physiologic and morphologic cardiac alterations. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and ventricular early flow propagation velocity (Vp) are new tolls in the evaluation of myocardial function. We sought to compare TDI and Vp findings in professional football players and age‐adjusted sedentary controls to assess the effect of regular athletic training on myocardial function. Methods: Twenty‐four professional football players and age‐, sex‐, and weight‐adjusted 20 control subjects underwent standard Doppler echocardiography pulsed TDI, performed parasternal four‐chamber views by placing sample volume septal and lateral side of mitral annulus and lateral tricuspid annulus. Vp values were obtained by measuring the slope delineated by first aliasing velocity from the mitral tips toward the apex by using apical four‐chamber color M‐mode Doppler images. Results: Age, body surface area, blood pressure, and heart rate were comparable between two groups. Football players had significantly increased LV mass, mass index (due to both higher wall thickness and end‐diastolic diameter), end‐systolic and end‐diastolic volume, left atrial diameter, and decreased transmitral diastolic late velocity. In athletes TDI analysis showed significantly increased mitral annulus septal DTI peak early diastolic (e) velocity (0.22 ± 0.04 vs 0.19 ± 0.04, P < 0.05), lateral DTI peak e velocity (0.19 ± 0.03 vs 0.16 ± 0.02, P < 0.05) and lateral DTI e/a peak velocity ratio (1.96 ± 0.41 and 1.66 ± 0.23, P < 0.05). The ratio of transmitral peak early diastolic velocity (E) to e in both lateral (4.72 ± 1.20 vs 5.95 ± 1.38, P = 0.007) and septal (3.90 ± 0.80 vs 5.25 ± 1.50, P = 0.002) side of mitral annulus were significantly lower in athletes. In Vp evaluation, we found higher Vp values (60.52 ± 6.95 in athletes and 56.56 ± 4.24 in controls, P = 0.03) in football players. Conclusions: Professional football playing is associated with morphologic alteration in left ventricle and left atrium and improvement in left ventricle diastolic function that can be detected by TDI and Vp. These techniques may be new tools to define and quantitate the degree of LV diastolic adaptations to endurance exercise.
A Rare Association of Ebstein's Anomaly of Tricuspid Valve with Rheumatic Mitral Stenosis
Authors: Jayaprasad N. , Thomas Vinod , Madhavan Suresh , Rajesh G. , Francis Johnson , Venugopal K.
Published: January 2007

Mitral valve abnormalities have been described in Ebstein's anomaly, but acquired rheumatic mitral valve disease is an extremely rare association. We describe a classical case of Ebstein's anomaly of tricuspid valve with severe rheumatic mitral stenosis. This patient had mild mitral regurgitation, pulmonary hypertension and atrial fibrillation.
CMR of Ventricular Function
Authors: Keenan Niall G. , Pennell Dudley J.
Published: January 2007

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the reference standard for the assessment of ventricular dimensions, function, and mass in terms of accuracy and reproducibility. It has been thoroughly validated both ex vivo and against other imaging techniques. Measurements are highly accurate and no geometrical assumptions need to be made about the ventricle. A routine ventricular dataset of images can be acquired in less than 5 minutes and analyzed in about the same time. The field is rapidly advancing with increasing automation and simplification in both image acquisition and analysis. Using parallel and real time imaging techniques, good quality data can be obtained even in patients who are unable to hold their breath. While providing useful information in all patients with suspected heart failure, CMR should particularly be considered in those with poor echo windows, where it can also be combined with myocardial stress. Tagging techniques can provide highly detailed information about myocardial torsion and strain for individual myocardial segments. In a research environment, the very high degree of interscan reproducibility can dramatically reduce the number of patients needed to perform clinical trials.
Virginia Woolf's Sense of Adventure
Authors: DiBattista Maria
Published: January 2007

This paper forms part of a Literature Compass cluster of articles which examines the current state of Virgina Woolf Studies and aims to provide a snapshot of the field. These papers grew out of the 15th Annual International Virginia Woolf Conference (College of Lewis and Clark, Portland, OR, June 9–12, 2005).

The full cluster is made up of the following articles:

“Introduction: Virginia Woolf and The Art of Exploration,” Urmila Seshagiri and Rishona Zimring, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00393.x

“Virginia Woolf's Sense of Adventure,” Maria DiBattista, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00394.x

“The Twentieth Part: Virginia Woolf in the British Museum Reading Room,” Benjamin Harvey, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00395.x

“‘Street Haunting’: Phantasmagorias of the Modern Imperial Metropolis,” Sara Gerend, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00396.x

“Hyde Park Gate News,” Gill Lowe, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00397.x

“The Art of ‘Scene‐Making’ in the Charleston Bulletin Supplements,” Claudia Olk, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00398.x

“A Camera of Her Own: Woolf and the Legacy of the Indomitable Mrs. Cameron,” Emily Setina, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00399.x

“Woolfian Resonances,” Anne Fernald, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00400.x

“Early Twentieth‐Century British Women Travellers to Greece: Contextualizing the Example of Virginia Woolf,” Martha Klironomos, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00401.x

“‘Others Wanted to Travel’: Woolf and ‘America Herself’,” Thaine Stearns, Literature Compass 3 (2006), 10.1111/j.1741‐4113.2006.00402.x
‘He Who has Suffered You to Impose on Him’: Blake, Derrida and the Question of Theory
Authors: Green Matthew J. A.
Published: January 2007

This article discusses William Blake's relationship with contemporary literary theory, including an overview of Blake scholarship with particular regard to studies informed by deconstruction, feminism and Marxism. It is suggested that not only can Blake's works be viewed through the lens of theory, but they can also be seen to contribute to theoretical debates themselves. The paper argues in favour of a historically sensitive consideration of Blake as a theorist, contextualising his work not only within a larger history of ideas, but also within its social and political context. The final section of the article specifically examines the interconnectedness of key aspects of the works of Blake and Derrida – concerning the messianic, mental war, the friend/enemy dichotomy, the response to the other, and the relationship between the particular and universal – and argues that these cannot be understood without reference to the context in which we read today.
Writing the West: Critical Approaches toShane
Authors: Griffin Ruth
Published: January 2007

Representations of the American West have perhaps resonated most strongly in the western film genre, yet at the same time, the literary western is a highly developed and sophisticated genre in its own right. Meanwhile, critical approaches to the West have become increasingly wide‐ranging, spanning historical/literary studies; film/cultural studies; genre; gender studies; philosophy, structuralism and, most recently, post‐modernism. In light of such critical diversity, this article places a literary text alongside a western film in order to illustrate and demonstrate potential critical approaches to the western. To this end it takes Jack Schaefer's novelShaneas its case study with two main organising principles in mind. Firstly, analysis of the text demonstrates the ways in which critical methods and theoretical debates can be applied to the literary western. As a result, I assess, for example, the convention which applies historical co‐ordinates to fictional representations, as well as the challenges posed by alternative modes of critique. Secondly, the novel is placed alongside the filmic adaptation in order to demonstrate the fluid nature of western forms and the critical approaches which can be used to analyse them. Finally, I offer my own perspective, suggesting that the methodologies and textual forms explored in the article signal the need for trans‐disciplinary critical approaches which reflect both the simplicity and the diversity of the western as a whole.
Gothic and the Generation of Ideas1
Authors: Heiland Donna
Published: January 2007

Gothic writing has remarkable generative power: as Marshall Brown has described it, gothic is a genre with what he calls a teleology, whose “significance lies in what it enabled its future readers to see, in what arguments it provoked, and . . . in what dreams it stimulated” (xix). From a brief discussion of selected early studies of the gothic, this article moves on to consider the extraordinary development of gothic criticism from the 1970s on, when the emergence of feminist and post‐structuralist criticism put gothic literature on the map in a new way. Tracing the development and imbrication of the many strands of gothic criticism yields a complex and at times paradoxical picture: gothic has been read as the most rigid and formulaic of literary forms but also as centrally engaged with the notably slippery concepts of sensibility and the sublime; as escapist and as grounded in the realities of human existence; as focused on the individual psyche and as socio‐cultural critique; as commenting on class, on gender, on race; as engaged with questions of national, colonial, and post‐colonial identity. The field is now so well developed that guidebooks and handbooks to both primary sources and critical approaches have emerged over the last few years to codify and make it accessible. And so the question arises: have we said all that we can about this genre or can we learn still more from it? The closing portion of this article suggests that we can, pointing to gothic and religion as an area of particular interest. Religious issues have been front and center in gothic writing from its inception, and criticism to date has opened up – but hardly exhausted – this potentially rich area of research.
The Measure of Time: Rising and Falling in Victorian Meters
Authors: Harrington Emily
Published: January 2007

In the Victorian period, metrical experiments and prosodical treatises proliferated to impressive proportions and stirred intricate controversies in poetics. In a necessary resurgence of scholarly interest in this body of work, some recent critics of Victorian meter privilege an account of it that favors either accentualism, organicism, and the body, or temporal measurement, the abstract, and the purely mental. Victorian poets and prosodists, however, did not divide along these poles but aimed to connect them within their own work. Focusing in part on blank verse, I argue that their attempt to unite the organic and the abstract in concepts of meter articulated ideals of English national identity and served as a means for the expression of social and cultural ideals. I explore how poets and prosodists connect their concepts of metrical time to the experience of the passage of time, both as a sense of progress and one of nostalgia.
Analysis of the structure and expression of the 30K protein genes in silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: SUN QUAN , ZHAO PING , LIN YING , HOU YONG , XIA QING‐YOU , XIANG ZHONG‐HUAI
Published: January 2007

A group of lipoproteins with molecular sizes of approximately 30 kDa, referred to as 30K proteins, are synthesized in fat body cells in the fifth instar larvae of silkworm, Bombyx mori. Analyzing the silkworm genome and its expressed sequence tags (ESTs), we found 10 genes encoding 30K proteins, which are mainly distributed in three subfamilies. Of these, seven coding proteins were found to harbor the degrading sites of 30kP protease A, although the number of degrading sites may be different. As some potential core promoters and regulatory elements were supposed to be essential for gene transcription, the expression profiles of these genes were examined by semi‐quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Eight 30K protein genes were detected to express luxuriantly in the fat body, while two were hardly expressed. Such results suggest that these 30K proteins may have different functions, and their adjacent regulatory elements play a crucial role in regulating their transcription.
Very high conservation between Cyp6a2 from Drosophila melanogaster and its ortholog Cyp6a26 from D. simulans
Authors: TARÈS SOPHIE , ARTHAUD LAURY , BRUN‐BARALE ALEXANDRA , CROCHARD DIDIER , BRIDE JEAN‐MARC , AMICHOT MARCEL
Published: January 2007

Although Drosophila simulans is closely related to D. melanogaster, very few cytochrome P450 genes have been studied in this species until now. As Cyp6a2 from D. melanogaster is a major gene implicated in the detoxification of xenobiotic molecules, we decided to look for its ortholog in D. simulans. The isolated gene, Cyp6a26, presents structural characteristics very similar to those of Cyp6a2: an identical size of 1 590‐bp comprising two exons separated by a 69‐bp intron and a nucleotide sequence homology of 95%. Many putative transcriptionally important motifs were identified in the upstream DNAs of the two genes but only 16 elements are in common positions. Treatment of flies with phenobarbital leads to an increased production of Cyp6a26 mRNAs. The expression of Cyp6a26 mRNAs varies following developmental stages in the same manner as Cyp6a2. Immunohistochemistry experiments of phenobarbital‐treated adult drosophila show that the spatial expression pattern of the two proteins is also conserved between the two species. All these data argue in favor of the conservation of the function of these homologous genes between the two Drosophila species.
Food preference of the rove beetle, Atheta coriaria Kraatz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) under laboratory conditions
Authors: BIRKEN EVA M. , CLOYD RAYMOND A.
Published: January 2007

A study, involving laboratory choice tests, was conducted to determine the feeding behavior, based on food preference, of the adult and larval stage of the rove beetle, Atheta coriaria Kraatz when presented with both fresh moistened oatmeal and second instar fungus gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila (Lintner) larvae in Petri dishes. Rove beetles used in this study came from a laboratory‐reared colony. A rating scale from 1 to 5, based on percent missing (1 = 0 to 10%, 2 = 11 to 30%, 3 = 31 to 50%, 4 = 51 to 75%, and 5 = 76 to 100%), was used to objectively assess the amount of oatmeal and number of fungus gnat larvae consumed by each rove beetle adult and larva. In all the choice tests, A. coriaria adults and larvae preferred to feed on fungus gnat larvae (78% and 69%, respectively) significantly more so than oatmeal (9% and 5%, respectively) based on the amount of oatmeal and number of fungus gnat larvae consumed after 4 and 6 hours. There were relatively minimal differences in the amount of food consumed for both adults and larvae after 4 and 6 hours. The results of this study indicate that oatmeal may be an inexpensive supplemental food source, during the rearing process, which will not inhibit the effectiveness of rove beetles to control fungus gnat larvae when released into greenhouses.
Oestrogen modulates cardiac ischaemic remodelling through oestrogen receptor‐specific mechanisms
Authors: Babiker F. A. , Lips D. J. , Delvaux E. , Zandberg P. , Janssen B. J. A. , Prinzen F. , Van Eys G. , Grohé C. , Doevendans P. A.
Published: January 2007

Aim:  Observational and clinical studies suggest different responses upon sex hormone replacement therapy in ischaemic heart disease. Few studies, however, have examined the impact of oestrogen receptor‐dependent mechanisms on the extent of injury after myocardial infarction (MI). Therefore, we set out to evaluate the effect of oestrogen (E2) replacement on infarct size and remodelling, and the respective role of the oestrogen receptors (ER)α and ‐β in this process, using ERα‐ and ERβ‐deficient mice.

Methods:  Wild type (WT) (ERα+/+ and ERβ+/+), ERα‐deficient (ERα−/−) and ERβ‐deficient (ERβ−/−) mice were ovariectomized and subsequently supplemented with E2 or placebo using subcutaneous 60‐day release pellets. MI was induced by left coronary artery ligation. Two weeks following MI, haemodynamic function was assessed and infarct size was determined.

Results:  There was no significant difference in infarct size between E2‐ or placebo‐treated WT (ERα+/+ and ERβ+/+) mice. Surprisingly, E2 treatment did result in smaller infarct sizes in ERα−/− mice, but increased the infarct size in ERβ−/− mice. Increase of the left ventricular mass post‐MI was significantly larger in the E2‐treated ERα−/− animals compared with placebo‐treated animals. E2 treatment also significantly increased post‐MI mortality in ERα+/+, ERβ+/+ and ERα−/− animals, but not in ERβ−/− mice.

Conclusions:  Although E2 modulates the infarct size in ERα−/−, it also appears to be responsible for the higher mortality following MI. ERβ appears to be the receptor involved in the modulating effects of E2 in the infarcted heart.
Change in the capability of reactive oxygen species production by neutrophils following weight reduction in female judoists
Authors: Yaegaki Makoto , Umeda Takashi , Takahashi Ippei , Matsuzaka Masashi , Sugawara Norio , Shimaya Sen , Tanabe Masaru , Kojima Arata , Mochida Noriko , Yamamoto Yousuke , Nakaji Shigeyuki
Published: January 2007

Objective:Athletes undergoing weight reduction are recognised as being more prone to infection. Few studies exist for athletes on the weight reduction-mediated changes in neutrophil function and related activities such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production capability, phagocytic activity (PA) and serum opsonic activity (SOA).

Methods:16 Japanese female university judoists were examined in the early morning of the first day (pre-values) and the last day (post-values) of a 20-day pre-competition training period. Of the 16 subjects, 8 needed to reduce weight (WR group) and the other 8 did not (control group). The parameters assessed were the neutrophil count, serum immunoglobulins and complements, myogenic enzymes, ROS production capability, PA and SOA.

Results:Comparing the post-values with the pre-values, ROS production significantly increased in both groups (p<0.01 for both). PA significantly decreased in the WR group (p<0.05); it also decreased in the control group but the decrease was not significant. SOA significantly increased in the control group (p<0.05), but showed no significant change in the WR group.

Conclusions:The changes in the WR group were probably a direct consequence of the weight-reduction regimen coupled with the exercise regimen, suggesting that neutrophil parameters (ROS production, PA and SOA) had tended to deviate from their typical compensatory changes to maintain immune system homoeostasis.
Effects of a maximal exercise test on neurocognitive function
Authors: Covassin Tracey , Weiss Leigh , Powell John , Womack Christopher
Published: January 2007

Objective:To examine the effects of a maximal exercise test on cognitive function in recreational athletes.

Design:A repeated-measures design was used to compare baseline with post-cognitive function and fatigue symptoms after a maximal exercise test.

Setting:Division 1 American Midwestern University, (Michigan State University, Michigan, USA).

Participants:102 male and female recreational athletes.

Intervention:Participants in the experimental group (n = 54) were asked to perform a maximal treadmill exercise test to maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Participants in the control group were asked to rest for 15 min.

Main outcome measurements:All participants were administered a neuropsychological test battery called Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) before and after exercise to measure neurocognitive function and fatigue symptoms.

Results:Results revealed a significant group (control, experimental)×time (baseline, post-test 1, post-test 2) interaction for verbal memory composite scores (p = 0.025). Specifically, verbal memory composite scores decreased in the experimental group from baseline to post-test 1 (p = 0.00). These values returned to baseline 3 days after the Vo2max test (p = 0.00). Further analysis on verbal memory composite scores demonstrated significant differences on immediate recall memory (p = 0.00) and delayed recall memory (p = 0.00). No significant differences were observed for visual memory (p = 0.54), motor processing speed (p = 0.68) and reaction time (p = 0.44) composite scores between the experimental and control groups.

Conclusion:The results of this study suggest that a maximal exercise test attenuated a limiting effect on cognitive function. When utilising a neuropsychological test battery to evaluate a patient who has sustained a head injury, the test should not be administered immediately after a practice or a game session.
Relationship between landing strategy and patellar tendinopathy in volleyball
Authors: Bisseling Rob W , Hof At L , Bredeweg Steef W , Zwerver Johannes , Mulder Theo
Published: January 2007

Objective:The aetiology of patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee) remains unclear. To see whether landing strategy might be a risk factor for the development of this injury, this study examined whether landing dynamics from drop jumps differed among healthy volleyball players (CON) and volleyball players with a jumper’s knee. The patients with jumper’s knee were divided into an asymptomatic group with a previous jumper’s knee (PJK) and a symptomatic group with a recent jumper’s knee (RJK).

Methods:Inverse dynamics analyses were used to estimate lower extremity joint dynamics from 30, 50 and 70 cm drop jumps in the three groups (CON, n = 8; PJK, n = 7; RJK, n = 9). A univariate repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the different landing techniques.

Results:Data analysis of the landing dynamics revealed that PJK showed higher knee angular velocities (p<0.01), and higher ankle plantar flexion moment loading rate (p<0.01). Furthermore, strong tendencies of higher loading rate of vertical ground reaction force (p = 0.05) and higher knee extensor moment loading rate (p = 0.08) were found compared with CON. Higher values for peak knee moment, peak knee power and knee work (all p<0.01) were found for CON compared with RJK. The comparison of the two jumper’s knee groups yielded higher knee angular velocities (p<0.01), together with higher ankle plantar flexion and knee extensor moment loading rate (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively).

Conclusion:Where RJK used a landing technique to avoid high patellar tendon loading, PJK used a stiffer landing strategy, which may be a risk factor in the development of patellar tendinopathy.
Microwave hyperthermia treatment increases heat shock proteins in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Ogura Yuji , Naito Hisashi , Tsurukawa Toshihiro , Ichinoseki-Sekine Noriko , Saga Norio , Sugiura Takao , Katamoto Shizuo
Published: January 2007

Objective:To test the hypothesis that microwave hyperthermia treatment (MHT) increases heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the human vastus lateralis muscle.

Methods:Four untrained healthy male volunteers participated in this study. The lateral side of the thigh of one leg (heated leg) was heated with a microwave generator (2.5 GHz, 150 W) for 20 min. At 1 day after the MHT, a muscle sample was taken from the heated leg. A control sample was taken from the unheated leg on another day of the MHT. For both legs, HSP90, HSP72 and HSP27 levels were compared.

Results:The HSP90, HSP72 and HSP27 levels in heated legs were significantly higher than those in control legs (p<0.05).

Conclusions:Application of MHT can increase the levels of several HSPs in human skeletal muscle.
ON MAXIMAL COLLECTIONS OF ESSENTIAL ANNULI IN A HANDLEBODY
Authors: LEI FENGCHUN , TANG JINGYAN
Published: January 2007

It is known that, for a maximal collection [Formula: see text] of pairwise disjoint non-parallel essential annuli in a handlebody of genus 2, [Formula: see text]. We show that for a maximal collection [Formula: see text] of pairwise disjoint non-parallel essential annuli in a handlebody of genus n (≥ 3), [Formula: see text], and the bound is best possible.
CALCULATING BAR-NATAN'S CHARACTERISTIC TWO KHOVANOV HOMOLOGY
Authors: TURNER PAUL R.
Published: January 2007

We investigate Bar-Natan's characteristic two Khovanov link homology theory studying both the filtered and bi-graded theories. The filtered theory is computed explicitly and the bi-graded theory analysed by setting up a family of spectral sequences. The E2-pages can be described in terms of groups arising from the action of a certain endomorphism on 𝔽2-Khovanov homology. Some simple consequences are discussed.
TREE DIAGRAMS FOR STRING LINKS
Authors: MELLOR BLAKE
Published: January 2007

In previous work, the author defined the intersection graph of a chord diagram associated with a string link (as in the theory of finite type invariants). In this paper, we classify the trees which can be obtained as intersection graphs of string link diagrams.
ULTRASOUND GUIDED ROBOTIC BIOPSY OF THE PROSTATE
Authors: PHEE LOUIS , YUEN JOHN , XIAO DI , CHAN CHEE FATT , HO HENRY , THNG CHOON HUA , TAN PUAY HOON , CHENG CHRISTOPHER , NG WAN SING
Published: January 2007

In this paper, a prototype of a robotic system for accurate and consistent insertion of a percutaneous biopsy needle into the prostate is presented. A transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) probe is used to collect a series of two-dimensional (2D) images of the prostate. These images are used to create a 3D computer model of the organ which is used by the urologist to define the biopsy points within the prostate. The robotic system then calculates the required trajectory of the needle, which can be simulated on the computer. Following this, the robot is configured accordingly and the actual biopsy is performed. Cadaveric and human trials have validated the robot's needle placement error to be less than 2.5 mm. Our future work includes the integration of a cancer predictive modality into the system to increase the cancer detection rate. The robotic system could also be modified to accurately place foreign bodies into the prostate, which could improve therapeutic procedures such as Brachytherapy.
EFFICIENT 3D PROSTATE SURFACE DETECTION FOR ULTRASOUND GUIDED ROBOTIC BIOPSY
Authors: SHAO FAN , LING KECK VOON , PHEE LOUIS , NG WAN SING , XIAO DI
Published: January 2007

Prostate surface detection from ultrasound images plays a key role in our recently developed ultrasound guided robotic biopsy system. However, due to the low contrast, speckle noise and shadowing in ultrasound images, this still remains a difficult task. In the current system, a 3D prostate surface is reconstructed from a sequence of 2D outlines, which are performed manually. This is arduous and the results depend heavily on the user's expertise. This paper presents a new practical method, called Evolving Bubbles, based on the level set method to semi-automatically detect the prostate surface from transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) images. To produce good results, a few initial bubbles are simply specified by the user from five particular slices based on the prostate shape. When the initial bubbles evolve along their normal directions, they expand, shrink, merge and split, and finally are attracted to the desired prostate surface. Meanwhile, to remedy the boundary leaking problem caused by gaps or weak boundaries, domain specific knowledge of the prostate and statistical information are incorporated into the Evolving Bubbles. We apply the bubbles model to eight 3D and four stacks of 2D TRUS images and the results show its effectiveness.
EFFICIENT ARCHITECTURES FOR SEGMENTATION OF ENDOSCOPIC IMAGES IN MICRO-ROBOTIC AUTO NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
Authors: LIM C. S. , LAM S. K. , TIAN H. , SRIKANTHAN T.
Published: January 2007

This paper presents novel techniques and their architectural translations for real-time image segmentation of endoscopic images, which are required for micro-robotic auto navigation systems. The proposed technique is based on a two-step process to segment the lumen regions from endoscopic images. In the first step, an adaptive progressive thresholding technique based on Otsu's method is employed to obtain a preliminary region of interest of the lumen region. A novel architecture for the between-class variance computation of Otsu's method is presented to meet the real-time requirements of the system. The proposed implementation employs binary logarithmic computations to eliminate the complex divisions and multiplications in Otsu's procedure. In the second step, an Iris filter is employed to enhance the boundary of the region of interest to facilitate an accurate detection of the lumen region. An architecture based on the coordinate rotation digital computer is proposed to simplify the complex computations of trigonometric functions required by the Iris filter operation. Software simulations demonstrate that the proposed technique requires a significantly smaller number of iterations to obtain an accurate segmentation result as compared to a previously reported method. In addition, synthesis results on the field-programmable gate array show that the proposed architectures can achieve high performance with low hardware resource utilization.
A REVIEW OF MASTER–SLAVE ROBOTIC SYSTEMS FOR SURGERY
Authors: LOW S. C. , PHEE L.
Published: January 2007

For decades, humans have used robots to overcome their natural limitations in their interaction with their environment. In recent years, robots have been developed to assist surgeons in performing surgeries. Since these robots are meant for surgeons' use, the design and considerations for safety, reliability and the human–robot interface are of primary importance. One of the most common modes of controlling surgical robots is using a master and slave layout. This paper explores the latest developments in the area of master–slave robotic systems for surgery.
COMPUTER ASSISTED PROSTATE SURGERY TRAINING
Authors: COSÍO F. ARÁMBULA , PADILLA CASTAÑEDA M. A. , SEVILLA MARTÍNEZ P. R.
Published: January 2007

We report the current development of a new computer assisted system for local and remote training of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The system is based on a 3D computer model of the prostate gland, which simulates deformations and resections of prostatic tissue. Simulated resections of the prostate can be repeatedly performed by the residents of urology to enhance their training. Automatic prostate recognition software was developed for the construction of a large library of prostate models. We report the software development of the system and show promising preliminary results of a new prostate recognition algorithm.
New architecture for intra-domain network security issues
Authors: Huang Dijiang , Cao Qing , Sinha Amit , Schniederjans Marc J. , Beard Cory , Harn Lein , Medhi Deep
Published: January 2007

Developing an effective platform for deterring network attacks.
A uniform code of ethics
Authors: Payne Dinah , Landry Brett J.L.
Published: January 2007

Business and IT professionals have enough in common that they can share a universal code of ethics.
Looking into the challenges of complex IT projects
Authors: Glass Robert L.
Published: January 2007

Investigating the implications of developing conclusions based on faulty fundamental premises.
Biologically uninspired computer science
Authors: Teuscher Christof
Published: January 2007

Don't limit your inspiration to biology, today's favorite metaphor, when developing new architectures and systems.
Introduction
Authors: Sreenan Cormac J. , van der Merwe Kobus
Published: January 2007

Demanding new Internet applications have produced a radical and fundamental shift in the nature of entertainment.
Dynamic data fusion for future sensor networks
Authors: Ramachandran Umakishore , Kumar Rajnish , Wolenetz Matthew , Cooper Brian , Agarwalla Bikash , Shin Junsuk , Hutto Phillip , Paul Arnab
Published: January 2007

DFuse is an architectural framework for dynamic application-specified data fusion in sensor networks. It bridges an important abstraction gap for developing advanced fusion applications that takes into account the dynamic nature of applications and sensor networks. Elements of the DFuse architecture include a fusion API, a distributed role assignment algorithm that dynamically adapts the placement of the application task graph on the network, and an abstraction migration facility that aids such dynamic role assignment. Experimental evaluations show that the API has low overhead, and simulation results show that the role assignment algorithm significantly increases the network lifetime over static placement.
A simple improved distributed algorithm for minimum CDS in unit disk graphs
Authors: Funke Stefan , Kesselman Alexander , Meyer Ulrich , Segal Michael
Published: January 2007

Several routing schemes in ad hoc networks first establish a virtual backbone and then route messages via backbone nodes. One common way of constructing such a backbone is based on the construction of a connected dominating set (CDS). In this article we present a very simple distributed algorithm for computing a small CDS. Our algorithm has an approximation factor of at most 6.91, improving upon the previous best-known approximation factor of 8 due to Wan et al. [2002]. The improvement relies on a refined analysis of the relationship between the size of a maximal independent set and a minimum CDS in a unit disk graph. This subresult also implies improved approximation factors for many existing algorithm.
Application-independent defect tolerance of reconfigurable nanoarchitectures
Authors: Tahoori Mehdi B.
Published: January 2007

Self-assembled nanofabrication processes yield regular and reconfigurable devices. However, defect densities in this emerging nanotechnology are higher than those in conventional lithography-based VLSI. In this article, we present an application-independent defect tolerant design flow to minimize customized postfabrication design efforts to be performed per chip. In this flow, higher level design steps are not needed to be aware of the existence and the location of defects in the chip. Only a final mapping step is required to be defect aware. Application independence of this flow minimizes the number of per-chip design steps, making it appropriate for high volume production. We also present two mapping algorithms, recursive and greedy, which make the connection between defect-unaware design steps and the final defect-aware mapping step. Experiments show that the results obtained by the greedy algorithm are very close to the exact solutions. Using these algorithms, we analyze the manufacturing yield of molecular crossbars under different defect distribution models. We report on the size of the minimum crossbar to be fabricated such that a defect-free crossbar of the desirable size can be found with a guaranteed manufacturing yield.
Constructing collaborative desktop storage caches for large scientific datasets
Authors: Vazhkudai Sudharshan S. , Ma Xiaosong , Freeh Vincent W. , Strickland Jonathan W. , Tammineedi Nandan , Simon Tyler , Scott Stephen L.
Published: January 2007

High-end computing is suffering a
data deluge
from experiments, simulations, and apparatus that creates overwhelming application dataset sizes. This has led to the proliferation of high-end mass storage systems, storage area clusters, and data centers. These storage facilities offer a large range of choices in terms of capacity and access rate, as well as strong data availability and consistency support. However, for most end-users, the “last mile” in their analysis pipeline often requires data processing and visualization at local computers, typically local desktop workstations. End-user workstations---despite having more processing power than ever before---are ill-equipped to cope with such data demands due to insufficient secondary storage space and I/O rates. Meanwhile, a large portion of desktop storage is unused.We propose the FreeLoader framework, which aggregates unused desktop storage space and I/O bandwidth into a shared cache/scratch space, for hosting large, immutable datasets and exploiting data access locality. This article presents the FreeLoader architecture, component design, and performance results based on our proof-of-concept prototype. Its architecture comprises contributing benefactor nodes, steered by a management layer, providing services such as data integrity, high performance, load balancing, and impact control. Our experiments show that FreeLoader is an appealing low-cost solution to storing massive datasets by delivering higher data access rates than traditional storage facilities, namely, local or remote shared file systems, storage systems, and Internet data repositories. In particular, we present novel data striping techniques that allow FreeLoader to efficiently aggregate a workstation's network communication bandwidth and local I/O bandwidth. In addition, the performance impact on the native workload of donor machines is small and can be effectively controlled. Further, we show that security features such as data encryptions and integrity checks can be easily added as filters for interested clients. Finally, we demonstrate how legacy applications can use the FreeLoader API to store and retrieve datasets.
Multicollective I/O
Authors: Memik Gokhan , Kandemir Mahmut T. , Liao Wei-Keng , Choudhary Alok
Published: January 2007

The increasing gap between processor cycle times and access times to storage devices makes it necessary to use powerful optimizations. This is especially true for applications in the parallel computing domain that frequently perform large amounts of file I/O. Collective I/O strategy that coordinates the processes to perform I/O on each other's behalf has demonstrated a significant performance improvement. This article proposes a new concept called Multicollective I/O (MCIO) that expands the collective I/O to allow data from multiple files to be requested in a single I/O request, in contrast to allowing only multiple segments for a single file to be specified together. MCIO considers multiple arrays simultaneously by having a more global view of the overall I/O behavior exhibited by parallel applications. This article shows that determining the optimal MCIO access pattern is an NP-complete problem, and proposes two different heuristics for the access pattern detection problem, also called the assignment problem. Both heuristics have been implemented within a runtime library, and tested using a large-scale scientific application. Our results show that MCIO outperforms collective I/O by as much as 87%. Our runtime library-based implementation can be used by application users as well as by optimizing compilers. Based on our results, we recommend that future library designers for I/O-intensive applications include MCIO in their suite of optimizations.
Replicated batch means variance estimators in the presence of an initial transient
Authors: Alexopoulos Christos , Andradóttir Sigrún , Argon Nilay Tanik , Goldsman David
Published: January 2007

Independent replications (IR) and batch means (BM) are two of the most widely used variance-estimation methods for simulation output analysis. Alexopoulos and Goldsman conducted a thorough examination of IR and BM; and Andradóttir and Argon proposed the method of replicated batch means (RBM), which combines good characteristics of IR and BM. This article gives analy-tical results for the mean and variance of the RBM estimator for a class of processes having initial transients with an additive form. Along the way, we provide succinct complementary extensions of some of the results in the aforementioned papers. Our expressions explicitly show how the transient function affects estimator performance and suggest that in some cases, the RBM estimator is a good compromise choice with respect to bias and variance. However, care must be taken to avoid an excessive number of replications when the transient function is pervasive. An example involving a simple moving average process illustrates our findings.
An active approach to spoken language processing
Authors: Hakkani-Tür Dilek , Riccardi Giuseppe , Tur Gokhan
Published: January 2007

State of the art data-driven speech and language processing systems require a large amount of human intervention ranging from data annotation to system prototyping. In the traditional
supervised passive approach
, the system is trained on a given number of annotated data samples and evaluated using a separate test set. Then more data is collected arbitrarily, annotated, and the whole cycle is repeated. In this article, we propose the
active approach
where the system itself selects its own training data, evaluates itself and re-trains when necessary. We first employ
active learning
which aims to automatically select the examples that are likely to be the most informative for a given task. We use active learning for both selecting the examples to label and the examples to re-label in order to correct labeling errors. Furthermore, the system automatically evaluates itself using
active evaluation
to keep track of the unexpected events and decides on-demand to label more examples. The active approach enables dynamic adaptation of spoken language processing systems to unseen or unexpected events for nonstationary input while reducing the manual annotation effort significantly. We have evaluated the active approach with the AT&T spoken dialog system used for customer care applications. In this article, we present our results for both automatic speech recognition and spoken language understanding.
Confidence estimation for NLP applications
Authors: Gandrabur Simona , Foster George , Lapalme Guy
Published: January 2007

Confidence measures are a practical solution for improving the usefulness of Natural Language Processing applications. Confidence estimation is a generic machine learning approach for deriving confidence measures. We give an overview of the application of confidence estimation in various fields of Natural Language Processing, and present experimental results for speech recognition, spoken language understanding, and statistical machine translation.
Realization of natural language interfaces using lazy functional programming
Authors: Frost Richard A.
Published: January 2007

The construction of natural language interfaces to computers continues to be a major challenge. The need for such interfaces is growing now that speech recognition technology is becoming more readily available, and people cannot speak those computer-oriented formal languages that are frequently used to interact with computer applications. Much of the research related to the design and implementation of natural language interfaces has involved the use of high-level declarative programming languages. This is to be expected as the task is extremely difficult, involving syntactic and semantic analysis of potentially ambiguous input. The use of LISP and Prolog in this area is well documented. However, research involving the relatively new lazy functional programming paradigm is less well known. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of that research.
Object tracking
Authors: Yilmaz Alper , Javed Omar , Shah Mubarak
Published: January 2007

The goal of this article is to review the state-of-the-art tracking methods, classify them into different categories, and identify new trends. Object tracking, in general, is a challenging problem. Difficulties in tracking objects can arise due to abrupt object motion, changing appearance patterns of both the object and the scene, nonrigid object structures, object-to-object and object-to-scene occlusions, and camera motion. Tracking is usually performed in the context of higher-level applications that require the location and/or shape of the object in every frame. Typically, assumptions are made to constrain the tracking problem in the context of a particular application. In this survey, we categorize the tracking methods on the basis of the object and motion representations used, provide detailed descriptions of representative methods in each category, and examine their pros and cons. Moreover, we discuss the important issues related to tracking including the use of appropriate image features, selection of motion models, and detection of objects.
A word from the editor
Authors: Lee Newton
Published: January 2007

Welcome to the ACM Computers in Entertainment, a premier online magazine featuring video interviews with leading professionals and interesting articles on entertainment technology and its applications.
Interview with Lee Jay Lorenzen
Authors: Lee Newton , Lorenzen Lee Jay
Published: January 2007

Lee Jay Lorenzen is a highly successful serial entrepreneur with more than 26 years of experience developing software and founding and/or funding numerous software ventures and non-profit organizations. Some of his successful companies include Independent Programming Teams, Ventura Software, Altura Software, Post Digital, Fractal Design Corporation, CoolChat and PGSoft. Lorenzen also developed some of the world's first graphical user interfaces, including icon-based graphical desktop user interface at Xerox Office Products Division and a graphical windowing system and user interface for the PC at Digital Research Inc. In the video interview, you will hear Lee's answers to the following questions:1. You worked on the graphical user interface in the early 80's, what was the motivation behind your work?2. What is the future of the Internet? More e-commerce, education, or entertainment?3. What is the ultimate shopping experience on the Internet like in the future?4. As a successful serial and parallel entrepreneur, what is your advice to a want-to-be entrepreneur in the high-tech business?
PAC-LAN
Authors: Rashid Omer , Bamford Will , Coulton Paul , Edwards Reuben , Scheible Jurgen
Published: January 2007

RFID (Radio frequency identification) is often seen as an enabling technology for mixed-reality experiences where all kinds of objects, even the most mundane and inanimate, can be equipped to provide interaction between the real and virtual worlds. These mixed-reality experiences could occur in all aspects of our lives, but one of the most easily envisaged is that of computer games. As the mobile phone has become the computer carried in the pockets of a third of the population of the planet, it would seem a natural platform for these mixed-reality games. Further, the emergence of mobile phones that incorporate RFID readers gives the opportunity for creating games in which players interact with real physical objects, in real locations, and provides enhanced gameplay and experience. In this article we present details of a novel location- and object-enhanced mixed-reality version of the Namco arcade classic, Pacman. In particular, the article presents a comparison of the game to other mixed-reality versions of Pacman; the rationale behind specific design choices made during game design and its subsequent implementation; and an analysis of the experiences of people who have played the game. Our system highlights the possibilities via use of physical objects and the combination of mobile phones and RFID of yielding new mixed-reality entertainment experiences.
Foreword to the best papers of the GDTW 2005
Authors: El Rhalibi Abdennour
Published: January 2007

In November 2005, Liverpool John Moores University held its 3rd International Conference in Game Design and Technology (GDTW 2005): http://www.cms.livjm.ac.uk/GDTW/GDTW2005/default.htm.