Radar Imaging Based on Iterative Algorithms

It has long been realized that the problem of radar imaging is a special case of image reconstruction in which the data are incomplete and noisy. In other fields, iterative reconstruction algorithms have been used successfully to improve the image quality. This paper studies the application of iterative algorithms in radar imaging. A discrete model is first derived, and the iterative algorithms are then adapted to radar imaging. Although such algorithms are usually time consuming, this paper shows that, if the algorithms are appropriately simplified, it is possible to realize them even in real time. The efficiency of iterative algorithms is shown through computer simulations.     

Aeromonas caviae: ecologic adaptation in the intestinal tract of infants coupled to adherence and enterotoxin production as factors in enteropathogenicity

Aeromonas caviae isolated from stools of diarrheic formula-fed infants and environmental sources produce acetic acid when grown in glucose broth, which is bactericidal (suicide phenomenon). A. caviae grows anaerobically in a minimal medium or under permissive conditions such as the intestinal tract of formula-fed infants. These isolates adhered to HEp-2 cells and produced a cytotoxic and a cytotonic enterotoxin which underscore their enteropathogenicity.     

Face Recognition Based on Support Vector Machine and Nearest Neighbor Classifier

Support vector machine (SVM), as a novel approach in pattern recognition, has demonstrated a success in face detection and face recognition. In this paper, a face recognition approach based on the SVM classifier with the nearest neighbor classifier (NNC) is proposed. The principal component analysis (PCA) is used to reduce the dimension and extract features. Then one-against-all stratedy is used to train the SVM classifiers. At the testing stage, we propose an al-     

Subset threshold autoregression

We develop in this paper an efficient way to select the best subset threshold autoregressive model. The proposed method uses a stochastic search idea. Differing from most conventional approaches, our method does not require us to fix the delay or the threshold parameters in advance. By adopting the Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques, we can identify the best subset model from a very large of number of possible models, and at the same time estimate the unknown parameters. A simulation experiment shows that the method is very effective. In its application to the US unemployment rate, the stochastic search method successfully selects lag one as the time delay and five best models from more than 4000 choices. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cancer and blood coagulation

In human patients, blood coagulation disorders often associate with cancer, even in its early stages. Recently, in vitro and in vivo experimental models have shown that oncogene expression, or inactivation of tumour suppressor genes, upregulate genes that control blood coagulation. These studies suggest that activation of blood clotting, leading to peritumoral fibrin deposition, is instrumental in cancer development. Fibrin can indeed build up a provisional matrix, supporting the invasive growth of neoplastic tissues and blood vessels. Interference with blood coagulation can thus be considered as part of a multifaceted therapeutic approach to cancer. Received 30 November 2005; received after revision 7 February 2005; accepted 8 February 2006     

Biological weapons

Anthrax has been a major cause of death in grazing animals and an occasional cause of death in humans for thousands of years. Since the late 1800s there has been an exceptional international history of anthrax vaccine development. Due to animal vaccinations, the rate of infection has dropped dramatically. Anthrax vaccines have progressed from uncharacterized whole-cell vaccines in 1881, to pXO2-negative spores in the 1930s, to culture filtrates absorbed to aluminum hydroxide in 1970, and likely to recombinant protective antigen in the near future. Each of these refinements has increased safety without significant loss of efficacy. The threat of genetically engineered, antibiotic and vaccine resistant strains of Bacillus anthracis is fueling hypothesis-driven research and global techniques--including genomics, proteomics and transposon site hybridization--to facilitate the discovery of novel vaccine targets. This review highlights historical achievements and new developments in anthrax vaccine research.     

The Huntington's disease candidate region exhibits many different haplotypes.

Analysis of 78 Huntington's disease (HD) chromosomes with multi-allele markers revealed 26 different haplotypes, suggesting a variety of independent HD mutations. The most frequent haplotype, accounting for about one third of disease chromosomes, suggests that the disease gene is between D4S182 and D4S180. However, the paucity of an expected class of chromosomes that can be related to this major haplotype by assuming single crossovers may reflect the operation of other mechanisms in creating haplotype diversity. Some of these mechanisms sustain alternative scenarios that do not require a multiple mutational origin for HD and/or its positioning between D4S182 and D4S180.     

Specific binding of antigenic peptides to cell-associated MHC class I molecules

T lymphocytes recognize antigen in the form of peptides that associate with specific alleles of class I or class II major histocompatibility (MHC) molecules. By contrast with the clear MHC allele-specific binding of peptides to purified class II molecules purified solubilized class I molecules either bind relatively poorly or show degenerate specificity. Using photo-affinity labelling, we demonstrate here the specific interaction of peptides with cell-associated MHC class I molecules and show that this involves metabolically active processes.