An expert system for the early detection of melanoma using knowledge-based image analysis

Melanoma is the most lethal skin cancer; however, nearly all patients can be saved and cured by early detection and prompt surgical treatment. It has been demonstrated that the major diagnostic and prognostic parameters of melanoma are the vertical thickness, three-dimensional (3D) size and shape, and color of the lesion. The other characteristic features of early melanoma are irregularities in the boundary of the lesion and the appearance of nonuniform pigmentation (with a variety of color). During early stages of development of the melanoma, the changes in these parameters are very difficult to assess since no good tool exists for measuring them in situ and analyzing them for malignancy. A novel optical instrument called the "Nevoscope" has been developed to obtain multiple views of the transilluminated skin lesion from several angles. These views have been used to measure the thickness and 3D size of the skin lesion without excision. A knowledge-based image analysis and interpretation system is being developed to analyze images of the skin lesion for a set of diagnostic and prognostic features: thickness, 3D size, color and margin, boundary and surface characteristics. This analysis combined with the patient's history, such as occurrence of melanoma or dysplastic nevi in the family, life style, skin type, etc., is used by the knowledge-based expert system to detect early or potentially malignant lesions. The diagnostic and prognostic knowledge bases for the early detection of melanoma are being developed with the help of expert dermatologists and published case studies.     

An expert system applied to the diagnosis of anemia with special reference to myelodysplastic syndromes

An expert system is described that includes interpretation of the results from a complete blood count as well as data from bone marrow aspiration. The system utilizes Bayes' rule. It has previously been tested on 180 cases of anemia including 20 benign and malignant hematologic disorders. On the data set, the system achieved 84% satisfactory diagnoses. In the present study, patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and with disorders of heme synthesis have been added to the test cases. For support, the expert system requires an IBM Personal Computer or equivalent. The program is available commercially (Coulter Electronics, Hialeah, FL).     

An application of an expert system to potentiometric stripping analysis

In this paper, a potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA) system controlled by an expert system, designed and constructed by us, is examined for the analysis of cadmium, lead and copper. PSA has gained a place in trace metal analysis, with many applications of this technique reported in the past decade. The simpler equipment required and lack of organic interference have made this technique an alternative method to the well established anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) procedure. The expert system not only provides direct equipment control but also interprets the results based on its knowledge base and provides adjustments of the experimental parameters to optimize the analysis. The selected expert system builder, Crystal, is an extremely simple programming environment, the instruction being almost in the form of standard English. This allows the user to build up a knowledge base without the need for great computing skill.     

An automatic system for chromosomal analysis applied to prenatal diagnosis

Summary Computer-assisted metaphase analysis for prenatal diagnosis can be economically performed by a preexisting hardware-software system. The program can be run by technician-level (i.e., nonspecialist) personnel who can opt for the automatic operational mode for good quality metaphases or for the semimanual mode for problem metaphases (numerous superpositions, artifacts, etc.). The karyotype can be obtained in conversational mode. Hardcopy output is available for all modes.     

Scale-down/scale-up studies leading to improved commercial beer fermentation

Scale-up/scale-down techniques are vital for successful and safe commercial-scale bioprocess design and operation. An example is given in this review of recent studies related to beer production. Work at the bench scale shows that brewing yeast is not compromised by mechanical agitation up to 4.5 W/kg; and that compared with fermentations mixed by CO(2) evolution, agitation ≥ 0.04 W/kg is able to reduce fermentation time by about 20%. Work at the commercial scale in cylindroconical fermenters shows that, without mechanical agitation, most of the yeast sediments into the cone for about 50% of the fermentation time, leading to poor temperature control. Stirrer mixing overcomes these problems and leads to a similar reduction in batch time as the bench-scale tests and greatly reduces its variability, but is difficult to install in extant fermenters. The mixing characteristics of a new jet mixer, a rotary jet mixer, which overcomes these difficulties, are reported, based on pilot-scale studies. This change enables the advantages of stirring to be achieved at the commercial scale without the problems. In addition, more of the fermentable sugars are converted into ethanol. This review shows the effectiveness of scale-up/scale-down studies for improving commercial operations. Suggestions for further studies are made: one concerning the impact of homogenization on the removal of vicinal diketones and the other on the location of bubble formation at the commercial scale.     

An on-line physiological state recognition system for the lysine fermentation process based on a metabolic reaction model

A metabolic reaction model was developed for the lysine fermentation process by Corynebacterium glutamicum AJ-3462 to estimate the physiological state of the cells-that is, the growth and production activity, and the flux distribution of metabolites-from on-line measurable rates only. First, the extended Kalman filter was applied to eliminate noise in the measured rates. Then, using the metabolic reaction model, the lysine production rate and flux distribution were calculated. The estimation results allowed the physiological state of lysine production to be recognized, and an appropriate measure corresponding to the estimated state, such as intermittent addition of glucose and/or leucine, to be taken to maintain a high level of lysine productivity in batch culture. Finally, application of the recognition system enabled lysine to be produced from glucose at a higher yield than that from glucose- or leucine-limited exponential fed-batch cultures. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 55: 170-181, 1997.     

Adsorbents for extractive bioconversion applied to the acetone-butanol fermentation

Summary Four different polymeric resins were tested as adsorbents in extractive bioconversion applied to the fermentative production of acetone and butanol by Clostridium acetobutylicum. The polymers were tested for their ability to adsorb butanol from pure solutions, and fermentation broths. Furthermore, the effect on the fermentability of the media was tested. The pH was increased to prevent adsorption of intermediates such as acetic and butyric acids. Bonopore, the polymer giving the best adsorption pattern with no undesirable effects, was tested in repeated batch cultures with C. acetobutylicum.     

Metabolism analysis and on-line physiological state diagnosis of acetone-butanol fermentation

Fermentation equations for acetone-butanol (AB) were applied in a metabolic analysis of the reaction network under various conditions; that is, at different pHs and a high NADH2 turnover rate using methyl viologen, in a Clostridium acetobutylicum culture. The results disclosed variations in the pattern of rate changes that reflected changes in the physiological state. A linear relationship was found to exist between NADH2 generation and butanol production rate. By coupling an automated measurement system with the fermentation model, on-line estimation of the culture state was accomplished. Based on the AB fermentation model, new parameters were defined for on-line diagnosis of the physiological state and determination of the best timing for amplifying NADH2 generation by the addition of methyl viologen to obtain a high level of butanol productivity. A potential means of achieving optimal control for a high level of solvent production, involving the correlation of certain rates, is proposed.     

Generation of rules for expert systems by statistical methods of fermentation data analysis

Five new methods for determining the relations between kinetic data of fermentations are described and applied to an industrial antibotic fermentation process. The input data for these method are the elements of the distance matrix d_ij, which quantify the sum of the deviation squares between the time dependent kinetics x (t) of the fermentation runs i and j. For each measurable or calculable kinetic state variable, one n x n distance matrix must be calculated where n is the number of fermentation runs. All methods compare these distance matrices by statistical or graph-theoretical approaches. The algorithms obtained are universally applicable if enough kinetic data are available, especially from more than 10 comparable fermentation runs. The algorithms were developed for the use in knowledge acquisition modules of expert systems.     

The ontogeny of physiological response to temperature in early stage spiny lobster (Jasus edwardsii) larvae

The physiological response to temperature, in terms of oxygen consumption, nitrogen excretion and feed intake was examined in Jasus edwardsii larvae at mid-stages I-III. From stage I to stage III, the mass-specific oxygen consumption increased in a sigmoid pattern over the temperature range of 10-22 degrees C. The Q(10) value declined significantly from 14-18 to 18-22 degrees C range, indicating a reduced temperature dependence of larval metabolism at higher temperatures. At all stages, feed intake increased with increasing temperature but reached a plateau at the higher temperatures for stages I and II larvae. In contrast, nitrogen excretion increased linearly over this temperature range for all larval stages. Therefore, higher temperatures ( approximately 22 degrees C) may cause an energetic imbalance and reduce growth potential in early stage larvae. While the convection requirement index (quotient of feed intake and oxygen consumption) indicated an equivalent metabolic feeding efficiency from 14 to 22 degrees C, a consistent decline of the O/N ratio above 16-18 degrees C from stage I to stage III suggested that exposure to elevated temperatures may result in an increase in the amount of protein being diverted from growth to catabolic processes. Based on these results, a temperature of 18 degrees C is recommended for the culture of early stage J. edwardsii larvae.     

A versatile data acquisition system for physiological modelling of laboratory fermentation processes

Summary A versatile data acquisition system for physiological modelling of laboratory fermentation processes is given. This system meets the stringent qualifications of modern modelling techniques in terms of signal to noise ratios and sampling rates using readily available equipment. The data are portable to any data processing system for modelling and analysing the culture characteristics. Two completely equipped fermentation systems are sampled with a sampling period of six seconds. The data acquisition system is used to acquire data of a set of continuous fermenters showing sustained oscillations. Oscillation data was used to show the performance of the data acquisition system. With the high sampling rate signal to noise ratios of 30 dB or higher are achieved. It was possible to determine periods of oscillatory behaviour and delay times. The system has shown to be versatile in alaboratory set up. Addition or subtraction of sensors or complete fermentation systems can be done without major alterations to the system.     

生育前期遮光对水稻灌浆期剑叶生理特性及籽粒生长的影响

通过盆栽试验研究了生育前期（插秧至孕穗期）遮光对水稻分蘖、灌浆期剑叶生理特性、籽粒生长、产量及其构成因素的影响.结果表明：前期遮光使水稻分蘖数明显降低（降低26.72%）,齐穗期与成熟期发生延迟;遮光结束后,水稻灌浆期剑叶叶面积、可溶性糖含量分别比对照增加了33.86%和30.23%;每穗实粒数、千粒重、籽粒终极生长量、最大灌浆速率、平均灌浆速率分别比对照降低了8.65%、4.81%、9.74%、20.22%和19.13%;有效穗数与产量分别降低了25.26%和39.56%,差异显著;灌浆速率峰值的出现时间提前了1.66 d,实际灌浆时间延长了6.80 d.与弱耐荫水稻品种相比,耐荫品种灌浆前中期的剑叶叶绿素a、叶绿素b、叶绿素(a+b)含量增加,灌浆期的剑叶叶面积增加幅度大,蛋白氮、可溶性糖含量及叶绿素 a/b升高,籽粒终极生长量及千粒重接近对照,减产幅度相对较低.     

An expert system for interpretation of X-ray fluorescence spectra

The complexity of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra has lead to a number of computerised interpretation and element identification systems being developed and reported in the literature. In practice, however, human operators can generally perform the task better. The system outlined here uses a strategy based upon the recorded experience of experts, and employs an expert system with fuzzy logic to analyse and interpret XRF spectra. The aim has been to develop and implement a heuristically based scheme able to perform XRF qualitative analysis efficiently and effectively. Future developments and improvements to the system are discussed.     

Computational modeling of an early evolutionary stage of the nervous system

The object of this work is to create a computational model that examines the early evolution of the nervous system in relation to adaptive behavior. The main questions are: how did the nervous system and the most primitive forms of intelligence came into being, how a system can be organized during evolution that is able to ensure the adaptive behavior of a being, what are the basic rules of construction that are sufficient to create a workable nervous system without specifying the details of the construction. The biological bases of the model are the phyla Cnidaria and Porifera as they stand at the beginning of the genesis of nervous organization. We found in our model that in a network of homogenous epithelial-like cells, which is considered the starting point of the genesis of the nervous system, the changes that have positive influence on the behavior are those that make the spreading of the electric potential more efficient. It can cause the increase of the effectiveness of the behavior by itself without creating new specific cell-types. There are some alternatives to increasing the effectiveness of spreading of stimuli, for example increasing the value of biophysical parameters of the cells, or increasing the density of nerve cells and the number of synapses. If during the evolution a sort of cell comes into being that is able to conduct electrical stimuli--even in a rudimentary way--it can increase the adaptivity of behavior by itself without the need for specific information of how to organize the construction of this system.     

Shotgun proteome analysis of beer and the immunogenic potential of beer polypeptides

The majority of beer proteins originate from barley (Hordeum vulgare) which is used for brewing. Barley is known to contain celiacogenic gliadin-like prolamins (hordeins) along with other immunogenic proteins which endure malt proteases and the harsh conditions of brewing. In addition, a multitude of peptides that may retain or even amplify the immune-stimulating potential is released in beer because of proteolysis. The comprehensive annotation of the beer proteome is challenged both by the high concentration range of the protein entities and by a severe degree of processing-induced modifications. Overcoming the pitfalls of the classical two-dimensional electrophoresis approach coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), the gel-free shotgun proteomic analysis expanded the current inventory of a popular Italian beer to 33 gene products, including traces of intact B- and D-hordeins and 10 proteins from Saccharomyces spp. The high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray MS/MS peptidomic analysis of the low-molecular weight beer components disclosed a panel of hordein-derived peptides that encrypt gluten-like sequence motifs, potentially harmful to celiacs. The presence of antigliadin IgA-immunoresponsive prolamins was assayed by Western and dot blot using sera of N=4 celiac patients. Gliadin-reactive T-cell lines isolated from the intestine of N=5 celiacs activated an IFN-γ response when challenged with deamidated beer polypeptides.     

The physiological strain index applied to heat-stressed rats.

A physiological strain index (PSI) based on heart rate (HR) and rectal temperature (Tre) was recently suggested to evaluate exercise-heat stress in humans. The purpose of this study was to adjust PSI for rats and to evaluate this index at different levels of heat acclimation and training. The corrections of HR and Tre to modify the index for rats are as follows: PSI = 5 (Tre t - Tre 0). (41.5 - Tre 0)-1 + 5 (HRt - HR0). (550 - HR0)-1, where HRt and Tre t are simultaneous measurements taken at any time during the exposure and HR0 and Tre 0 are the initial measurements. The adjusted PSI was applied to five groups (n = 11-14 per group) of acclimated rats (control and 2, 5, 10, and 30 days) exposed for 70 min to a hot climate [40 degrees C, 20% relative humidity (RH)]. A separate database representing two groups of acclimated or trained rats was also used and involved 20 min of low-intensity exercise (O2 consumption approximately 50 ml. min-1. kg-1) at three different climates: normothermic (24 degrees C, 40% RH), hot-wet (35 degrees C, 70% RH), and hot-dry (40 degrees C, 20% RH). In normothermia, rats also performed moderate exercise (O2 consumption approximately 60 ml. min-1. kg-1). The adjusted PSI differentiated among acclimation levels and significantly discriminated among all exposures during low-intensity exercise (P < 0.05). Furthermore, this index was able to assess the individual roles played by heat acclimation and exercise training.     

The ontogeny of physiological response to light intensity in early stage spiny lobster (Jasus edwardsii) larvae

Early stage phyllosoma larvae of the spiny rock lobster Jasus edwardsii were examined for swimming speed, feeding, oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion as instantaneous performance indicators when exposed to different irradiance levels. Swimming speed was measured in recently hatched Stage I larvae while all other parameters were measured in larvae from hatch to mid-Stage V. The swimming speed of recently hatched Stage I phyllosoma increased logarithmically between light intensities of 2.9 x 10(14) and 1.8 x 10(16) quanta s(-1) cm(-2) indicating that, within this range, swimming activity was only suppressed at the lowest irradiance level. Larvae examined under dark (no light) conditions showed lower feed intake, oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion than larvae under low (7.7 x 10(12) q s(-1) cm(-2)) and high (3.9 x 10(14) q s(-1) cm(-2)) light intensities, and this was a consistent pattern observed throughout development from hatch to Stage V. There was no difference in feeding, oxygen consumption and nitrogen excretion between larvae exposed to low and high light intensities. However, from mid-Stage I to mid-Stage V, the metabolic feeding efficiency (feed intake:oxygen consumption ratio) was consistently higher in larvae exposed to low light intensity than in phyllosoma assessed in the dark and under high irradiance. A light intensity of about 7.7 x 10(12) quanta s(-1) cm(-2) and no higher than 3.9 x 10(14) quanta s(-1) cm(-2) is recommended to stimulate feeding and optimise metabolic feeding efficiency in early larval stages of J. edwardsii.     

Biochemical and physiological characterization of the efrotomycin fermentation

Summary An efrotomycin fermentation was characterized through physical, chemical and biochemical studies. Growth of the actinomycete,Nocardia lactamdurans occurred during the first 50 h of the fermentation cycle at the expense of glucose, protein, and triglycerides. The initiation of efrotomycin biosynthesis was observed when glucose dropped to a low concentration. Upon glucose depletion, cell growth ceased and a switch in the respiratory quotient occurred. Efrotomycin biosynthesis was supported by the utilization of soybean oil and starch. Analysis of triglyceride metabolism showed that no diglycerides or monoglycerides accumulated during the fermentation. The activity of extracellular enzymes (lipase, protease, and amylase) increase during the cell growth phase and decreased significantly after 150 h. The concentrations of DNA, tetrahydro-vitamin K₂ (a membrane component), and free amino acids in the supernatant increased dramatically late in the fermentation cycle (225 h), indicating massive cell lysis. During this same time period, a reduction in cellular respiratory activity and efrotomycin biosynthesis were observed.     

CASSIOPE: An expert system for conserved regions searches

Background  

Understanding genome evolution provides insight into biological mechanisms. For many years comparative genomics and analysis of conserved chromosomal regions have helped to unravel the mechanisms involved in genome evolution and their implications for the study of biological systems. Detection of conserved regions (descending from a common ancestor) not only helps clarify genome evolution but also makes it possible to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and investigate gene function.     

Volumetric scale-up of a three stage fermentation system for food waste treatment

In this study, a volumetric scale-up of this system was designed and built on a field pilot-scale (total digester volume 10 m(3)), with the results from the field pilot-scale experiments compared with those from the bench-scale (total digester volume 0.4 m(3)) process prior to scale-up. The reduction rate of total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) and the maximum methane content produced in the biogas from the bench-scale system were 90.6% and 72%; whereas those from the field pilot-scale system were 90.1% and 68%, respectively. The estimated methane yields were 282 and 254 l CH(4)/kg tCOD(degraded) in bench and field pilot-scale fermentation systems, respectively. These results indicate that the three stage fermentation system developed in this study can be applied as a commercial process for the disposal of food waste in view of process stability.