Sparse Generalized Canonical Correlation Analysis: Distributed Alternating Iteration-Based Approach.

Sparse canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is a useful statistical tool to detect latent information with sparse structures. However, sparse CCA, where the sparsity could be considered as a Laplace prior on the canonical variates, works only for two data sets, that is, there are only two views or two distinct objects. To overcome this limitation, we propose a sparse generalized canonical correlation analysis (GCCA), which could detect the latent relations of multiview data with sparse structures. Specifically, we convert the GCCA into a linear system of equations and impose ℓ1 minimization penalty to pursue sparsity. This results in a nonconvex problem on the Stiefel manifold. Based on consensus optimization, a distributed alternating iteration approach is developed, and consistency is investigated elaborately under mild conditions. Experiments on several synthetic and real-world data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Early diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis: Imaging techniques and their combined application.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a clinical, surgical emergency characterized by an insidious onset, rapid progression, and a high mortality rate. The disease's mortality rate has remained high for many years, mainly because of its atypical clinical presentation, which prevents many cases from being diagnosed early and accurately, resulting in patients who may die from uncontrollable septic shock and multi-organ failure. But unfortunately, no diagnostic indicator can provide a certain early diagnosis of NF, and clinical judgement of NF is still based on the results of various ancillary tests combined with the patient's medical history, clinical manifestations, and the physician's experience. This review provides a brief overview of the epidemiological features of NF and then discusses the most important laboratory indicators and scoring systems currently employed to diagnose NF. Finally, the latest progress of several imaging techniques in the early diagnosis of NF and their combined application with other diagnostic indices are highlighted. We point out promising research directions based on an objective evaluation of the advantages and shortcomings of different methods, which provide a basis for further improving the early diagnosis of NF.

Microwave assisted chitosan-polyethylene glycol hydrogel membrane synthesis of curcumin for open incision wound healing.

Chitosan and polyethylene glycol hydrogel membranes containing curcumin were synthesized using microwave technology at fixed frequency, power and time of 2450 MHz, 500 Watt and 120 s. Polymers were solubilized separately, combined with drug and mixed in two different ratios i.e. F1=80:20 and F2=85:15. The untreated and microwave treated hydrogel membranes were analyzed for degree of swelling, degree of degradation, tensile strength, surface morphology, vibrational and thermal analysis and in vitro drug release. Results indicated that F2(micro) showed a significantly high degree of swelling (96.49±1.21 %), low degradation (9.88±1.68 %), sustained drug release through slow erosion (55.1±3.11 %) via non-Fickian diffusion. The vibrational and thermal analysis revealed rigidification of hydrophilic domains of the polymers by formation of hydrogen bonds between chitosan and PEG moieties (OH/NH) and elasticity of hydrophobic domains (asymmetric and symmetric CH moieties and/or C=O moieties) which not only significantly increased the transition temperature and enthalpy (297.2±3.2 °C and 4.24±1.4 J/g) of the chitosan moiety but also resulted in enhanced tensile strength (18.2±1.3 Mpa). In vivo wound healing study revealed significantly faster wound healing in the F2(micro) treated animal group in comparison to a control animal group where at day 14, a significant re-epithelization (87.26 %) with smaller wound size was observed. Hence microwave assisted chitosan-PEG hydrogel membrane of curcumin is advocated to be a suitable plate form for wound healing applications.